


Wilhuff Tarkin, Hero of the Rebellion

by lordMartiya



Series: Wilhuff Tarkin, Hero of the Rebellion [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, Not In Chronological Order, Spacebattles is a den of insanity, Wilhuff Tarkin Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:15:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 33,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23542978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordMartiya/pseuds/lordMartiya
Summary: A non-chronological collection of one-shots set in a universe where Tarkin (yes, THAT Tarkin) secretly joined the Rebellion.
Series: Wilhuff Tarkin, Hero of the Rebellion [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1886689
Comments: 70
Kudos: 67





	1. Year 0 of the Empire: Tarkin discovers Palpatine's duplicity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, many on Spacebattles wondered how and why Tarkin would be on the Rebellion's side. This is how it started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, many on Spacebattles wondered how and why Tarkin would be on the Rebellion's side. This is how it started.

Right after the Separatist defeat at Coruscant, admiral Wilhuff Tarkin had been on the bridge of the _Venator_ -class Star Destroyer, the _Invincible_ , when it happened-a message from his wife including a coded communication that an Aquillian Ranger had delivered a package from none else than Mace Windu. While the Rangers existed to do whatever the Jedi needed them to do, it was rare for Windu to actually call upon them-and yet this one had provided the required codes, with the Ranger only knowing the password to open it was the entirety of the Nexus coordinates. Of which he knew only half-neither him nor Ahsoka Tano had been present when the other revealed their half of the code to the Chancellor and the Jedi Council, no need for that back then.  
  
Now, however, he needed that, and if someone as reckless as Windu was taking such precautions he couldn't just ask the Chancellor to reveal it, there was the risk of some leak. On the other hand, Tano's status after being expelled from the Jedi was quite peculiar, and fleet admiral Tigellinus owed him a few favors-not that he'd have to actually use them, he actually had a logical explanation for his impending request to the headquarters.  
  


* * *

  
  
 _"Why am I supposed to work for you?!"_ Tano demanded through holocommunication.  
  
"As the communication stated, you're _still_ a commissioned officer in the Republic Navy, the Jedi High Council having no power to strip that from anyone and you having been aquitted from all charges." Tarkin replied from his office, where he had chosen to take the communication to mask the fact he was actually signing to her in the old telegraphic code with his finger. Something he knew Skywalker had trained her to understand, allowing her to see his real message-"urgent, package, password, Windu, OOC". "And as the Eighteenth happens to have discovered what seems to be old Rakatan technology, your particular skillset makes you necessary. You or another technical-minded Force user, but you're the only one in the Navy. Hopefully after that we can give you a proper command course and a starship, such as one of the new _Imperators_. You have proven yourself more than I could have ever imagined, in skills and sense of duty."  
  
 _"... I suppose..."_  
  
Suddenly, the other holoprojector, the one to be used only for certain situations, activated with a tune announcing the Chancellor had been authenticated as broadcasting. And indeed he appeared, wearing a hood and showing some impressive facial scars, before pronouncing words that the entire military was likely hearing at that same moment, words that made Tarkin's blood run cold: _"Execute Order 66"_.  
  
"What has Windu _done_ this time?!" he whispered.  
  
 _"What?!"_ Tano exclaimed, having received the message herself. Then she looked around, lit her lightsaber, and deflected a blaster shot before running away, chased by Clonetroopers.  
  
Tarkin remained silent, but was wondering what was happening. First the package, then Contingency Order 66 was issued, and for some reason the 501st Legion was trying to kill Tano, who was _not_ a Jedi anymore. Something strange was happening, and he didn't like it.  
  


* * *

  
  
"I commend your skillful initiative, commander." Tarkin stated as he saw Ahsoka Tano, wearing a Navy commander uniform and accompained by a Clonetrooper with captain markings on his armor that was likely from the 501st and without the now infamous biochip (that had nearly sparked a mutiny once it had been deactivated, the Clones having taken it as a breach of trust. For their sake, he hoped the Kaminoans gave the Empire justification to invade them, that was something even he at his worst wouldn't do to his worst enemy), appeared in his home during a brief leave before he was slated to go to Coruscant and finally receive his appointment as Moff.  
  
"We need to know what happened, and I take your package could do that." Tano replied, not having much courtesy for the man who had once tried to get her executed on what had turned out to be false charges. Considering that and the current situation, Tarkin let it slide and produced the package.  
  
"The password are the Nexus coordinates." he said. "If you please, captain..."  
  
Being a soldier, the Clone captain understood and stepped out. It was time to find out what Windu's package contained.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Well, that's it-we're the Sith Empire now." Tarkin commented after reviewing the information-the entirety of Windu's investigation about the mysterious Darth Sidious, of how they had tracked him down to 500 Republica before the Separatist attacked, and the various hints and evidence-and adding it to recent events to realize Sheev Palpatine was the Dark Lord of the Sith and had been running both sides. Trillions killed, entire worlds razed, only for the ambition of one man and the vendetta of some Force Users on others who had good reasons to be paranoid about them.  
  
"We must expose him!" Tano exclaimed. "We must-"  
  
"Wait until a better moment."  
  
"But-"  
  
"His Majesty set us up-right now, popular opinion is fully for him and against the Jedi, and this evidence not only just points to the Sith hiding among the Chancellor's staff, it's tainted by the Jedi having discovered it. We'll need to wait. And prepare. It'll be ten, or maybe twenty years, but if he acts like Sith usually do then in a few years he'll be vulnerable. And then, we'll strike. We and others, commander."  
  
In a rare gesture, Tarkin extended his hand to Ahsoka Tano. By military ranks she was his inferior, and he was a human-centric speciesist, but he was also a pragmatic man, and could recognize that for now the Togruta was his peer in the secret fight against the Empire. And recognizing it, Tano took it.


	2. Year 15 of the Empire: Rivoche Tarkin learns how lucky she is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one started as a discussion about Tarkin knowing or not about Palpatine's duplicity in the Clone Wars, with me writing a scene in which he found out-and actually getting more and more ideas about this crazy universe. So here they are. I'll post the existing ones at a rhytm of one per day until they're all here, and then continue with the new ones. They're not in chronological order. So, without further ado, our favorite sociopath being a better substitute parent than he was in Legends.

Rivoche had not been feeling well lately. Not ever since her father had died. Her uncle Wilhuff had taken her in, but she had been angry, feeling horrible, the most unlucky in the galaxy. Then her uncle dragged her to Tatooine, to the farm of some people he knew there. And while merely being there had shocked her, the nephew of the owners had just said something even more world-shaking.  
  
"Wait, you are _well-off?!_ " she exclaimed.  
  
"Well, yes. We have enough water for actual showers-not that we'd waste any that way, especially after the Great Drought five years ago-" Luke Skywalker replied, ready to continue explaining why, for Tatooine standards, they were fairly well-off and on the way of being rich, before being cut off.  
  
"DROUGHT?!"  
  


* * *

  
  
"Don't you think it was excessive?" Owen Lars said to his guest-someone few others in the entire galaxy would _dare_ to talk with such familiarity. Then again, Lars knew the high functioning sociopath in front of him tried to be a good man and, differently from many other high-ranking Imperials, could appreciate the sheer difficulty of running a moisture farm.  
  
"To the contrary, I feared I had been too soft. The Force knows I have been, by the Tarkins' standards." Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin replied as he observed from afar his niece trying to make sense of how a world like Tatooine could have a drought. By Core World (or even Eriadu) standards, Tatooine was in a drought _all the time_ , after all... "Rivoche is a sweet girl, and my brother did a good job keeping her from our family's less sane practices, but living in the Core Worlds' high society spoiled her, took away her perspective. But now... Now she can flourish, and our relatives will cease demanding she's brought to the Carrion Plateau. They'll still want her to demonstrate she can handle herself in difficult situations, but I know for a fact dear Gideon taught her to defend against the average male molester with no weapons nor attacks on the universal weakness, and she her blaster can hit a target to a Mandalorian Supercommando's satisfaction."  
  
Lars was about to point out it was oddly specific-then he remembered who he was dealing with, if someone could track down a Mandalorian Supercommando and have them test a teenager girl on her weapon handling skills that was the Grand Moff or his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, Tarkin first encountered Owen Lars during the Great Drought-he organized and led the relief expedition and visited the Lars farm to keep character, as they're the only remaining family of the man who saved his life on Lola Sayu, and discovered Luke. That he made damn sure to not report to anyone while encouraging him to listen to his uncle. And of course making some plans on how to use him for the future.


	3. Year 6 Before the Empire: Governor Tarkin, Hero of the Outer Rim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one wasn't originally part of this AU... But as it explains what kind of man Tarkin was before the Clone Wars and how he could go against the Empire with the proper motivation, I decided to include it here.

Standing on the bridge of his flagship, the modified _Dreadnought_ -class cruiser _Eriadu_ , governor Wilhuff Tarkin looked at the world under him. A world hosting a base for human and Thalassian _slavers_ , of all people (and he used the term very loosely), in the Greater Seswenna, _his territory_. He could have appreciated their nerve, if they had dedicated themselves to another crime. But instead, they were slavers, and ones stupiud enough to think he'd let them off just because he favored humans, like many of them and their customers were and they only kidnapped aliens. And on top of that, upon realizing their mistake they had gone and paid off Senator Tikkes, who had tried to convince him they were just a rumor. As if only targeting nonhumans or paying off a Senator makes a crime less of a crime.  
  
"Governor, sir, all the victims have been rescued and brought to the transport ships." an ensign-a creepy looking Parwan, but a decent enough _person_ to serve with distinction in the Outland Regions Security Force, differently from so many of the _human_ slavers down there-informed him. "We have taken multiple prisoners and sliced their databases, but many slavers have taken refuge in the main fortress, and they prepare to face a ground assault."  
  
"Very well." Tarkin said, suppressing a smile at both the information and what he'd like to do to the slavers. But there was no reason to risk his troopers in a ground assault, and his people already had their orders: "You may fire when ready."  
  
Less than half a minute later, his squadron fired all available turbolasers, hitting the base with enough firepower to overwhelm its shields and cause some moderate damage. A second barrage reduced it to slag. And as he watched the show, visible even from orbit, the governor decided to get some satisfaction.  
  
"Ensign, take a message." Tarkin said to the Parwan, who promptly produced a holocamera. "To the Right Honorable, the Senator of the Calamari Sector, Tikkes. My dear Senator, it is my great pleasure to inform you that you are, in fact, correct. The slave fortress in the Greater Seswenna does not exist."  
  
A credit to his training, the ensign did not laugh or cheer, just as the rest of the crew. He snorted in suppressed laughter and flew away with a smile, but he was young and unexperienced so it was forgivable. That done, Tarkin moved to verify if the rest of the rescue operation could proceed as planned or they needed to change something before informing the rest of the galaxy of what awaited any slaver in any of the Greater Seswenna sectors-he had a job to do before celebrating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally inspired by [this amazing scene](https://youtu.be/LmRyIrkDy40?t=217) of _Amistad_ , and written because Tarkin, for all his flaws (including racism), before the Clone Wars valued law and order above anything. I decided to include it here because that's the man that, in the right circumstances, could have joined the Alliance... And to set up a few things for the future.


	4. Year 1 of the Empire: Tarkin's Resolve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is based on a certain Legends event. The one that pushed Tarkin over the edge and changed him from a ruthless and strict but (mostly) fair man to a monster. Seriously, it's almost scary to find out that in the old canon Tarkin was actually a tragic figure...

Wilhuff Tarkin was appalled. Right after the start of this New Order he had been appointed Moff (something already decided during the Republic after the Sector Governance Decree, but politics and the need to hide his true nature had kept the then-Chancellor from actually appointing the Moffs), and had spent the last weeks setting up things, preparing for the future counterattack against the Empire-including distracting Vader just long enough for Tano and her 501st friends to complete that mission at the Jedi Temple (soon to be turned in the Imperial Palace) and keeping general Gentis from starting a coup _now_ rather than using his position as headmaster of the Imperial Academy on Coruscant to seed the Imperial military with officers that, at the right moment and with the right push, would turn against Palpatine. In those weeks he didn't have time to talk with his son Garoche, now a proud admiral himself, before he had been dispatched to the Atoan system to quell the local insurrection and then disappeared, and the only help he had been able to provide was to detach his ship's captain, Shale, to Darth Vader's "rescue mission". And now that he had finally been able to arrive, with the Emperor's order to take over command of the expedition, the Sith-that he strongly suspected was actually Anakin Skywalker-not only had to be rescued himself from the rubble of a temple, he had just reported that both Garoche and Shale had been killed by the insurgents.  
  
"I... I see." Tarkin whispered. For a moment he considered ordering to just bomb Atoa into submission, avenge his son with the Atoans blood. And then, as he owed Garoche to overthrow the Emperor and end these wars for good, he gave a different order: "General Romodi, continue as planned. The Atoan forces have been decimated, won't take much more before they surrender."  
  
"You aren't destroying them?" Vader asked, surprise evident in his tone.  
  
"No, of course." Tarkin replied, his uncle Jova's hard teachings and tortures turning once again useful to hide his actual feelings even from a Force sensitive-his hatred as he realized the horrible truth that Vader had murdered his son on the Emperor's order to turn him into another easily controlled monster. For a moment he enjoyed the idea of taking advantage of Vader's current injuries and tiredness from being buried under rubble for days, but, knowing what he owed his son, he instead took the chance to start a little plan of his for the day they would finally deal with Palpatine: "We are to bring peace to the galaxy. And let me enlighten on something your predecessors' failure to understand doomed in their battles against the Old Republic: hatred is stronger than fear. A ruler should be loved so that people willingly follow them and feared so that those who'd overthrow them won't dare to try, but hatred is a strong motivator, and history has shown that if the armor of fear is even scratched that will cause endless defiance, attrition, and eventually defeat. And as we don't have some invincible weapon capable of shattering a planetary shield and the world under it, we must avoid using excessive force and cause hatred."  
  
Vader did not answer. Instead he limped away, surprised at the assertion, allowing the Moff to understand he had succeeded, and planted the first doubts into Vader's mind. He didn't care how long it would take, but Wilhuff Tarkin would avenge his son, setting Darth Vader to be killed by his worst imaginable enemy-Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, in the end Legends!Tarkin was a tragic villain. Who, in this universe, has been enlightened just enough to do his best to restore law and order _properly_. He also has a bit of understanding of how the Death Star was supposed to work and how its destruction would affect the galaxy... But this Tarkin has been humbled by the realization of Palpatine's true nature and would be more prudent. Or just setting himself as a loved-yet-feared figure to better inspire rebellion against the Empire in the future. Or both.


	5. Year 2 of the Empire: Tarkin at Mon Calamari

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based on the Canon version of the Occupation of Mon Calamari as detailed in the comic _Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith_ , partly because the version of the Mon Cala exile is more useful to me... And partly because it featured Ferren Barr, the most awesome Jedi Padawan ever, doing the thing that allowed him to beat Ahsoka in that. And it was _hilarious_.

For the first time since he found out about Palpatine's duplicity, Wilhuff Tarkin was laughing. And for the first time in forever, he was doing so in public, propping himself up on the window of the bridge of the _Executrix_ as the two Inquisitors (one of which legless), Darth Vader, and the captured king Lee-Char looked and most of the bridge crew joined their leader in laughter.  
  
"That was _not_ funny!" the Sixth Brother protested. "Ferren Barr got the Tenth Brother killed!"  
  
"By mind-tricking your Purge Clonetroopers into executing Order 66 on _you_." Lee-Char pointed out, pointedly ignoring how the Sith at his side was trembling in what he'd swear was suppressed laughter. "But I digress. Now the Moff is recovering."  
  
"Indeed." Tarkin said, finally managing to stop his laughter-but sporting a smile he would have never expected to show unless he lived up one of his fantasies on the Emperor or someone (possibly himself) had put admiral Octavian Grant in his place for his personality in general and what he had done to the Starfighter Corps and the Army Air Corps in particular. "And I have good news for you, Your Majesty. The report of the Inquisitors makes one thing clear: you were under the influence of that humorous Padawan, just as the other Jedi on the planet. I believe it's reason enough to not suppress your world's civil liberties as much as I expected to have to do, and, depending on the Emperor's will, even restore them altogether in short order. In the meantime, however, we will have to bring you to Strokill base, at least for a while. Hopefully, just long enough to complete the pacification and guarantee your safety. If you would follow the troopers to your quarters..."  
  
As he watched the king be led to a very luxurious prison suit and the Dark Side users leaving, two projecting their anger at how they had been played (and, in the Ninth Sister's case, at getting her leg sliced for use as a bait on the Purge Troopers) and one trying to not laugh, Tarkin finally managed to regain his composure. It had been a good day: as promised, Barr had ensured the Mon Cala would be hostile to the Empire, bringing their shipbuilding skills to the future rebellion, _and_ provide him with an old astromech carrying ample information about Palpatine's crimes, and on top of that he had once again managed to present Vader and himself as stern but benign figures who simply enforce law and try to mitigate the actions of a government led by a psychopath. Because he had no illusions that Palpatine would order harsher measures against the Mon Cala and the Quarren, making himself more hated for nothing. One more step in freeing the galaxy from the monster.


	6. Year 15 of the Empire: Rivoche Tarkin and Luke Skywalker, Heroes of Anchorhead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this one, I picked up a little known piece of Legends and pushed it forward in time... Because sometimes we need a girl with a heavy rifle.

One thing about being a Grand Moff was the honor guard composed of Novatroopers (that rumors started by the Emperor himself got them nicknamed _Death_ Troopers, after a certain attempt at creating zombie stormtroopers), guard that was never too far from their charge unless requested by their duty or that of the charge. In Wilhuff Tarkin's case they had initially been a hindrance to his less than Imperial activities, at least for the few days it took him to turn them to his cause, partly due the Emperor, who believed him loyal, having hand-picked them among Outland Regions Security Force veterans who already viewed him the same way the 501st Legion Clonetroopers viewed Anakin Skywalker. Ever since then their assistance had been invaluable, extending his ability to lead his cell and communicate with the larger Rebel network while also protecting him from uninformed Rebels, Separatist bitter-enders, and other threats. And they fulfilled said duty even on his little detour to Tatooine, keeping themselves discrete at his request until they had to report a potential threat.  
  
"A hundred warriors? Tusken tribes usually don't have such numbers." the Grand Moff said upon hearing of the impending threat alongside his niece and hosts. "Must be a coalition. Inform the governor and the closest prefect to prepare to eradicate this threat."  
  
"Eradicate? Can't we just talk to them?" Rivoche asked-much to the hilarity of the three locals.  
  
"Rivoche, my dear, what you suggest is flat-out impossible." Tarkin explained. "The settlers _have_ tried to talk with them, and all they obtained has always been violence. All because _one_ group of settlers accidentally disrupted the water supply of _one_ group of Tuskens. Or at least that's what I've heard from two Tatooine-born officers of the Great Army during the war-and one of them was a Tusken." At that, Tarkin raised his hand to prevent the obvious question from the locals. "Unique circumstances were involved, and it would be preferable to not disclose them. Anyway, a coalition of tribes is a major threat for the entire Anchorhead region, possibly even Mos Eisley, and I only see four solutions: the first would be the mediation of Jabba Desilijic Tiure, as he can, _somehow_ , have the Tusken listen to him, but I fear he would demand some extreme price for his service; the second would be a military intervention from the governor and the Bestine garrison, but that would require extreme amounts of violence and a great expense of fuel and blaster gas, and they could be too late; and the third... The third would be quick and, even if unsuccessful, would buy time for the Bestine garrison to arrive. Not to mention it would get our relatives off my back about certain family traditions. Yes, we will try that.  
  
"What about the fourth?" the young Skywalker asked.  
  
"Orbital bombardment from the _Carrion Spike_." After savoring the Lars', Skywalker's, and Rivoche' flinch (because even Tatooine natives find a few things excessive when it comes to deal with the Tusken Raiders), he asked: "Rivoche, Luke Skywalker, how do you feel about becoming the heroes of Anchorhead?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Tarkin's plan was elegant in its simplicity, and as brutal as many Imperial officers would expect from him. Using the Lars' X-34 speeder (as the _Carrion Spike_ had not been loaded with the usual patrol speeder and its E-Web, only with a pair of speeder bikes, or the whole situation would have been easily dealt with by the honor guard in a minute), the two Tarkins and Luke Skywalker had approached the Tusken camp and, from the top of a dune at a few hundred meters, observed it and had the young Skywalker point out the tribe chiefs (that he, as a Tatooine settler, had learned to recognize from their gaffi sticks) to Rivoche, who then put in action her shooting lesson by using one of the Novatroopers' DLT-19D blasters and shooting them-at full power.  
  
Now, there is one thing to know about the Blastech DLT-19 line: the only practical difference between them and the GAR-issue DC-15 heavy blaster rifle is that the latter can use heavily ionized tibanna gas without risking damage to its electronics while the DLT-19 can't, not until the DLT-19D. Everything else, is the same: the amazing 5 km effective range before the bolt started losing power on maximum power, the insane 10 km maximum range, the extreme accuracy to actually hit a target at even the maximum range, and the power to leave a half-meter crater in any ferrocrete wall, or pierce the fully-charged shield of even a Q-series Droideka and hit the thing with enough power the fragments from the explosion would be fast enough to cause serious damage to any B2 in a meter range. When said power was used on unarmored _flesh_ the effects were spectacular. Adult Hutts were notoriously hard to kill with most portable blasters due their thick hides, the mucus said hides secreted, the underskin mantle that acted as a skeleton, and their heavy layers of blubber and muscle, yet a DC-15 inside the effective range would cause instantly fatal damage. On a human-sized target, the effect would be literally explosive, only marginally less distructive than a disruptor's (though still less painful).  
  
And disappear in a spectacular explosion Rivoche Tarkin's first kill did, scaring many of the nearby Tuskens and spooking their banthas. The girl's complexion became green at having taken a life, but, knowing what the Tusken did to their prisoners after hearing from Luke what they had done to his grandmother, she went to the second target and exploded that too. Her uncle's plan called precisely for that, exploding the chiefs to scare the Tusken and spook their banthas to the point of causing a stampede, leaving the survivors too broken to do anything but run from Anchorhead, and it was working. Then the third one pulled a lightsaber and deflected the bolt in the sky, only the sheer power of the bolt keeping him from sending it back to the shooter.  
  
"What the WHAT?!" she exclaimed.  
  
"What the hell is that?!" Skywalker shouted.  
  
"Oh, come on..." the elder Tarkin said. "Change of plan. Skywalker, shoot him in the face. Rivoche, finish him as soon as he drops the lightsaber."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Now!"  
  
Luke took his own gun and fired. The Tusken's lightsaber intercepted that attack too-and that backfired on him, as Luke Skywalker's weapon was a Czerka Arms 6-2Aug2 _slugthrower_ , firing a solid metal projectile that the lightsaber melted but did not deflect. Instead the cloud and blobs of superheated metal hit the Tusken in his masked face, setting it on fire. In pain and fear, the Tusken chief dropped his lightsaber and took off his burning bandages, only to freeze as the realization he just broke one of the Tuskens' greatest taboos in public by showing his face. That was when Rivoche hit him, opening a burning wound in his torso with the first shot, opening another with the second, and exploding him with the third. That finally caused the stampede.  
  
"Congratulations, young people: you just killed a Jedi." Wilhuff Tarkin announced. "As soon as the beasts have chased away the Tuskens we'll recover the lightsaber for the bounty."  
  


* * *

  
  
"The leader of the Tusken was A'Sharad Hett, born from Jedi Master Sharad Hett and a Tusken-raised woman, and raised among the Tusken Raiders until the Jedi Order found out about him and picked him up for training. As a Jedi Knight, and later a Master, he was also a general in the Grand Army of the Republic, and it was by overhearing a dispute between him and another Knight, born in Mos Espa and raised there until ten before being found by the Jedi, that I know about the origins of the dispute between the Tuskens and the settlers." Tarkin explained to the Lars couple, their nephew, his niece, and the Novatroopers while showing the Jedi's two lightsabers. "He was on Rabotev with a mixed Clone-Urthhan expedition when Order 66 was issued, and while he successfully defended himself against the Clonetroopers who first found him it was believed he had been blown up by artillery fire from the Urthhan force. Obviously that was a false belief, as he came back to his homeworld, rejoined the Tuskens, and rather than leading them to peace with the settlers he amassed a coalition to attack them, until he fell to these two magnificent young people directed by an old man with knowledge of their opponent."  
  
"Now what?" Owen Lars asked.  
  
"Now, we do the only thing that can be done: we turn these sabers in for the bounty on a Jedi Master. Worry not, the Grand Inquisitor knows better than displeasing me by acting out against civilians, and the one man who has no reason to fear me is more reasonable than that. Also, I believe we should keep an eye on our young people-it has been an exciting day, and I believe they're too young to be parents."  
  
"UNCLE!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: had Tarkin not intervened, Obi-Wan would have intercepted Hett, slicing his arm to disqualify him as a Tusken Warrior (they need both to use their traditional gaderrfi) and his mask to disqualify him as a Tusken in general but leaving him alive... And in about a hundred years or so he would have become Darth Krayt and conquered the galaxy. Guess we dodged a superlaser here...


	7. Year 5 of the Empire: Alexsandr Kallus, "Hero" of Lasan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on a little sketch I previously wrote on Spacebattles about Canon!Tarkin and his reaction to the Siege of Lasan. Of course, the Hero of the Rebellion would have a different kind of reaction.

Alexsandr Kallus, Imperial Security Bureau agent ISB-021, wasn't exactly having a good day. Or week, really. Sure, during the first assault on the Lasat Royal Palace he got the chance to kill one of those partisan monkeys with his own hands and got a really cool trophy out of it, but the attack had been repulsed, the 823rd Legion had nearly been overran, after a week of stalemate general Jaset (younger brother of _that_ Bal Jaset) had ordered the absurd overkill to shoot everything and everyone with T-7 ion disruptors, something he had to make a report to the newly promoted Grand Moff Tarkin about, and to top everything Tynnra Pamlo, the Senator from Taris, had found out and she was in a shouting match with the general. Finally, right as he was starting to consider disobey his orders and get out the general holocom chirped before a hologram of the Grand Moff materialized, prompting Kallus and Jaset to stand at attention and the Senator to throw him a dirty look for the interruption.  
  
 _"General, Agent, at ease. My apologies for the interruption, Senator, but Agent ISB-021 made quite an interesting report that needs to be addressed immediately."_ the Grand Moff said. _"Now, general, did you really order indiscriminate use of T-7 ion disruptors?"_  
  
"Yes, sir." the general admitted proudly. "The enemy, that includes a contingent of Wookie insurgents, repulsed our initial attack on the royal palace and has nearly overrun the 823rd Legion, so, in order to show them the power of the Empire, I-"  
  
 _"You ordered to use anti-materiel weapons on EVERYTHING!"_ the holographic Moff shouted in anger, surprising both general and Senator _._ " _Not just barricades or vehicles, but enemy soldiers, civilians, ELDERS AND CHILDREN! You are torturing to death the entire population of a whole planet, and on top of that for the price of the tibanna you are burning one could build a whole flotilla of_ Consular _diplomatic cruisers from the ground up, fully equip them to house Senator Orn Free Taa and his entire entourage for a year each, and then convert them into fully-equipped and fueled_ Chargers _! You little Tapani warrior wannabe, did you trip and hit your head too many times when playing saber rake as a teen?! Or maybe you were spiced?! You did something GRIEVOUS wouldn't have done from how wasteful it was! And he had a Brainrot Plague strain engineered to target only humans just to TICK THE REPUBLIC OFF! Since you obviously don't care of the morality of your action, give me a reason, one reason, I shouldn't have you reassigned to the Fondor shipyards-AS AN ACCOUNTANT!"_  
  
The last threat, of all things, was what triggered the Tapani general, and made him do something incredibly stupid. Pull his decorative and supposedly deactivated lightfoil, activate it, and point it toward the Grand Moff's hologram in a threat before said hologram snapped his finger and Kallus used his captured bo-rifle to stun him.  
  
 _"Very good. Agent, inform the troops that normal restrictions on disruptor weaponry use are reinstated."_ Tarkin said in absolute calm.  
  
"Sir, yes, sir." Kallus replied before giving said order-and adding "in the name of the Grand Moff" for good measure. The Senator, however, looked peeved.  
  
"Reinstate the normal restrictions? After what they did?!" she demanded to the Grand Moff.  
  
 _"Senator, according to current regulations ion disruptor weapons are classified as anti-materiel weapons to be used exclusively on vehicles, barricades, and buildings, and violating said instructions is a punishable offense in the military penal code."_ the Grand Moff explained. _"I am responsible for the military forces of Oversector Outer before those of an enemy country or insurgents, and as long as the soldiers respect the regulations I see no reason to deprive them of one of their most effective tools. If you disagree, then you should bring that before the Senate."_  
  
"That's exactly what I'm going to do!"  
  
 _"It's your prerogative. Just as it would be mine to have you arrested for interfering with a military operation and barging in a restricted area-"_  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"- _but considering you were trying to stop a crime as it was being committed I shall look the other way. But, please, if anyone asks could you not mention that the order to use disruptors was not the idea of the ISB Agent?"_  
  
"I... I suppose..."  
  
"Sir, excuse me, but why?" Kallus asked.  
  
 _"Because a reputation as a barely restrained sadistic genocidal maniac can be useful for an ISB agent. And what about that thing?"_  
  
"It's a J-19 bo rifle, standard issue of the Lasat High Honor Guard. I beat one of them with my bare hands, and before I could finish him he insisted I had won it."  
  
 _"Very well, you can keep it. Make sure you're proficient with it."_  
  


* * *

  
  
Of course general Jaset hadn't accepted his punishment, and, being the younger brother of one of the Emperor's Advisors, had used that to try and have it reversed. That was why both him and Tarkin had been summoned before the Emperor, standing before him while Darth Vader loomed over them and the Emperor both.  
  
"I have reviewed both of your cases." Palpatine said. "General Jal Jaset... Do you think lord Vader has an ATM on his torso?! The only reason I'm not adding to the Grand Moff's punishment is that I can't think of anything to make it more humiliating! You're now an accountant at the Fondor shipyards, now go!"  
  
After the former general had left, the Emperor turned to Tarkin and said: "Good call, my friend. If only more officers were like you..."  
  
"Just doing my job." Tarkin replied without missing a beat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had some fun with that. For the record, I see canon!Tarkin reacting in a very similar manner, partly because of the tibanna gas waste and partly because that is too much even for him-at least when he commits genocide he makes it painless. The Hero of the Rebellion, on the other hand, managed to hold on just enough decency to suggest the Senator to get the damn thing banned...


	8. Year 8 of the Empire: Tarkin meets the Lars family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you were wondering, this is how Tarkin mee the Lars and discovered Luke during the Great Drought of Tatooine.

The concept of a planet like Tatooine having drought periods seemed an oxymoron to Wilhuff Tarkin, yet it was happening. And to keep his image as harsh but fair ruler of the Outer Rim and prepare for the future day of rebellion he had come to the furnace leading the relief effort personally, discovering he didn't stand heat as well as he used to. At least it gave him the excuse to do a couple things he had been planning to do for a while now.  
The first, and something he expected Darth Vader, any Imperial official originating from near Hutt Space, and the entire population of the Tion Cluster to celebrate him for, was to give Jabba the Hutt a lesson: the Hutt had ordered his men to collect a water tax (so that Jabba could bathe himself in the middle of the drought, rumors said. He, however, agreed with the strangely familiar hermit who had been helping around in Anchorhead that Jabba had never bathed once in his life and was just showing his power), so, obviously, the Grand Moff of Oversector Outer had his troops arrest Jabba's tax collectors, strip them naked, and hang them to the Twin Suns to dry with signs announcing they had tried to illegally collect taxes. He would have to arrange for surveillance in case Jabba tried to retaliate in some way, but he could easily deal with that.  
The other, that he was about to do, was to meet with the (officially known) remaining family of Anakin Skywalker, the one loyal Jedi (the Emperor had announced Skywalker as a loyalist before whatever had happened to get him in the life support suit) who had also saved his life during the Clone Wars. This being Tatooine the local registrar was a few years behind in sharing its archives with the Imperial one, but he still knew where to find the Lars moisture farm and that while Cliegg Lars had died years before due inadequate treatment when he lost his leg to the Tusken Raiders his son Owen and daughter-in-law Beru Whitesun still lived there with a child-and thus he was coming there with a HAVt B5 Juggernaut filled with the water they had been assigned, plus what Jabba's men had "collected" from them before being captured.  
  
As he reached the farm, the Grand Moff, wearing an officer uniform adapted for the desert and holding the "water tax" bottles, came down and met a middle-aged couple and a child, all, in Tarkin's opinion, looking far too healthy for someone who lived under that scorching sun. Then again they were actually from that orbitally-blasted desert, they likely knew how to avoid the worst.  
  
"I am Wilhuff Tarkin, Grand Moff of Oversector Outer." he introduced himself as required by politeness-one thing he was actually grateful for to his parents. "Owen Lars and Beru Whitesun, I presume?"  
  
"Yes, my lord." the now identified Owen Lars said.  
  
"I am no lord, I work for a living. And today my job means bringing you relief water. Plus these bottles that some thieves stole from you before being apprehended."  
  
The three Lars looked at him in shock and surprise, both that someone would dare to mess with Jabba and that a Grand Moff would inconvenience himself to bring water to them. Thankfully they were smart (as expected from desert dwellers, nobody stupid lives long in comparatively more hospitable places such as the Carrion Plateau, let alone Tatooine's Jundland Wastelands) and knew to accept it.  
  
"You look surprised." Tarkin pointed out.  
  
"We had heard of the relief effort, but weren't expected someone of your station to come." Owen Lars said.  
  
"Truthfully I should have stayed in Bestine to supervise the situation, but captain Delvardus can take care of that while I finally met the stepbrother of the man who saved my life during the war."  
  
"Dad fought in the war?!"  
  
It had been the child to speak-and the two adults were now showing fear. The situation was obvious: Senator Amidala had lived just long enough to give birth to Anakin Skywalker's son, and the Lars were raising him while wisely not telling him much about his parents. And Bail Organa was most likely the one who brough the child there, and, as there was no need for him to know, had said nothing. Maybe one day he could use what he had just discovered-but right now, convenience, honor and basic human decency demanded he did another thing.  
  
"Your father did many things, young man, and in one occasion he got me out of a spot of trouble." he said with a smile. "He was also quite reckless and made a few enemies-listen to your uncles and I'm sure that when you'll be ready they'll tell you about him."  
  
The Lars were calmer now. They knew the Grand Moff wouldn't have them killed or worse for harboring a Jedi's child, and, as demanded by basic human decency, had even submitted to their judgement when it came to telling said child about his father. They would have to hash some details lest he said too much in the child's presence, but he could live with that. He also wondered what else Organa had not told him because back then he didn't need to know-though he now suspected where exactly he had found his adopted daughter. And, as he had just realized, there was a good reason for that hermit to be so familiar. But before leaving Tatooine he had to exchange words with Jabba.  
  


* * *

  
  
In the Hutt's palace, Tarkin waited while Jabba read the flimsi with the fact the savior of _his only son_ had a child and Jabba's water tax stunt had endagered him. Then he noted Jabba read it again and again, and then swallowed the flimsi and said something in Huttese.  
  
"The Mighty Jabba is grateful for your information, and how you prevented him from doing something unforgivable." Jabba's droid translated. "He also adds that if and when that person will need help he'll do everything in his power to pay his debt."  
  
"That is what I ask." Tarkin said. And now he had one more resource in the future, in case he needed it.  
  
"The Mighty Jabba also wishes to offer a tangible token of his gratitude." the droid said as the Hutt's majordomo brought to him a bottle made in some crudely made glass. "His Desert Wine, a tribute he is given for maintaining a measure of peace in the Great Dune Sea."  
  
"Thank you, Jab-" Tarkin stopped for a moment as he realized what the droid had just said: this wine was tribute. The Desert Wine, actual Desert Wine from Tatooine and not the Coruscant-made imitation, was a sacred beverage the Tusken Raiders distilled during their prayer nights, and for the most part quickly drank. While coming too close to the Tusken Raiders was dangerous for everyone, trying to take their Desert Wine meant they would get _messy_... And they _gave it to Jabba as tribute_. He didn't know how the Hutt pulled it off, but he understood exactly what it meant: "I now know why you're called the Mighty Jabba."  
  
Jabba laughed for a moment, and then said something else.  
  
"The Mighty Jabba has explained his majordomo that this is why Desert Wine is priceless."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jabba isn't supposed to have got his hands on the Desert Wine until after Yavin... But that's the only way I could have him impress the likes of Tarkin, so I moved the affair in time. And, for the record, I agree with Jabba: authentic Desert Wine is priceless.


	9. Year 15 of the Empire: Rivoche and Luke collect their bounty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here they are. It was to happen. Rivoche and Luke have taken down a Jedi and have proof for it, so here comes one of the Imperial officials authorized to disburse the bounty. Also, I suggest you read Matt Stover's novelization of Revenge of the Sith. It explains more than a few things from the movie... And I'm drawing from his version of the execution of the Separatist Council. Pre-lava Vader's finest (and funniest) moment...

"I'm not sure it was a good idea." Owen Lars said after hearing _who_ Tarkin called for the bounties. "Couldn't you have summoned the others?"  
  
"I'm afraid this was the best of two bad options." Tarkin replied. "The Inquisitorius is filled with the scum of the Jedi, ones that during Operation Knightfall and the aftermath failed to avoid capture and reconditioning, and sometimes even begged for their lives when cornered. The Grand Inquisitor is an exception, but it's unlikely he'd come just to verify a Jedi bounty, thus he'd send his underling. Who also may hold a grudge against me for laughing about a certain embarrassing incident involving them and the early Purge Troopers. Darth Vader, on the other hand, may be a drama queen and an unstoppable killing machine but is professional: as long as we don't give him a reason to turn hostile the worst he'll do will be to have his escort insult me, if he brings troopers from the 501st, or crack some horrible and/or inappropriate joke. And I took care of leaving him with the impression young Luke is your son."  
  
"I understand. But... Darth Vader joking?"  
  
Tarkin pulled a holoprojector and played the security footage of Darth Vader cutting down the Separatist Council, cracking jokes the whole time. By the time he was finished, Lars had trouble not laughing. Especially after Shu Mai protested they had been promised a handsome reward and Vader replied "I am your reward. Don't you find me handsome?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Darth Vader had arrived-and had thankfully brought with him Stormtroopers from the First Legion (as made clear by the differing heights, as the 501st was _still_ mostly Clonetroopers) and toned down his hammy antics-he had just landed in a Lambda shuttle, preceded by two standard Stormtroopers and followed by two holding armored cases, and, after basic pleasantries, grabbed the two lightsabers with the Force.  
  
 ** _"Indeed, these are Hett's weapons."_** Vader confirmed. **_"Truly, that Jedi Master died protecting the weak from the oppressors. Now, for the reward?"_**  
  
"As we all know, honor requires I do not take monetary rewards beyond my lawful pay for doing my duty, even if the law didn't require the same." Tarkin stated.  
  
"If I could have one of the blades deactivated?" Rivoche timidly asked, and managed not to flinch when the Sith turned to her. "Well, I mean, I took out a criminal, but I don't need any money, so-"  
  
"Wait, I can't take all that money!" Luke protested. "I was just in support, you took Hett down!"  
  
"I could have never done it without you."  
  
"But-"  
  
 ** _"Enough!"_** Vader ordered. _**"Young man, when a lady makes such a declaration you should thank you, accept the reward, and not spend it all on a present for her."**_  
  
"Yes, my lord."  
  
As the two troopers gave Luke the cases and Vader pulled the crystals out of the lightsabers and gave them both to Rivoche, Tarkin managed to repress a smile at Vader actually acting like a father to his son without even knowing.  
  
 ** _"Is there anything else to address?"_** Vader asked, obviously aiming to leave.  
  
 ** _"Permission to speak freely, my lord? Off the records"_** one of the "case troopers" asked with an unexpected feminine voice (women were extremely rare in the Corps, mostly due the obvious physical requirements forcing them to drop out and become tough officers in the Imperial Army).  
  
Vader nodded, so the Stormtrooper took off her helmet, revealing a long red hair that would have not been tolerated outside of Vader's two personal legions, went into Owen Lars' face, and shouted: "Busted! Your stepbrother was Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker!"  
  
"What." Tarkin said, not expecting a natural-born Stormtrooper to know _that_.  
  
"Candace?!" Luke identified her, making Tarkin guess how did that happen. "What are you talking about?!"  
  
"When I've got the armor on it's Corporal TK-90210, Luke. As for what I'm talking about-it was when I was 5, the Tuskens had just kidnapped your grandmother and Ferb's mom, my dad was one of the guys who died trying to rescue the women, we were all here talking about what to do and what Jabba would want to save our collective asses while a strange woman with all too good clothes and a shiny ship looked at us in surprise, old man Cliegg said that maybe his stepson could do something, and then, on the horizon, we see a line of Banthas preceeded by a speeder bike, and there he comes, the stepson, bringing the bodies of all the kidnapped women and lots of pillaged Tusken stuff. He was old man Cliegg's stepson, who had obviously lived for a while on the nice worlds given I later overheard him show some regret for doing a full job and killing off the whole tribe. Had a crush on him growing up..." Darth Vader made a nervous step back at that "Then, right after the war, everyone stopped talking about him, and this asshole" said while pointing a gloved finger at Owen Lars, nearly getting his eye "made me look like a fool when I asked about him! Wondered why for years, then during a history lesson at the Academy what do I see but a picture of that hero labeled as "Anakin Skywalker-The One Loyal Jedi"?! And then, at another history lesson, I find out the woman was the seven-blessed Senator from Naboo, Padme Amidala Naberrie! That according to what the veterans told me while I was the 501st, had married him!"  
  
For a moment only Vader's breather mask was heard, TK-90210 needing to recover her breath while Tarkin made an herculean effort to not slap his face, the Lars couple realized that Stormtroopers knew far too much, the two young people processed what had just been revealed, and Vader realized that he had failed to hide his marriage from his entire legion during the war, and not just Ahsoka. Then the Stormtrooper got her breath back, turned to the Lars and asked: "What's with those faces? Who do you think we are, those fanatics from the Inquisitorius and Purge Troopers?!"  
  
"Civilians may not know the difference, corporal." Tarkin pointed out.  
  
"Well, then, we're the First Legion. We all got through the 501st Legion and learned the ropes from Clone Wars veterans who fought from First Geonosis all the way to Operation Knightfall and beyond, and once we proved good enough we joined the stormiest Stormtroopers ever under a commander who only demands we do our job at the best of our abilities and hopes we do _better_ and otherwise leaves us to do our thing! And this is lord Darth Vader! We don't care if one of your relatives is a Jedi as long as you follow the law and keep your mouth shut to people who may care."  
  
 ** _"Well said, corporal."_** Vader stated. **_"Is there anything else?"_**  
  
"No, my lord."  
  
 ** _"Very well. Lars, good job with your son. Troopers, let's go."_**  
  
With that Vader and his entourage left.  
  
"Wait, son?" Luke said as he finally recovered from the whole thing.  
  
"He was under that impression, and it would be _polite_ not to correct lord Vader." Tarkin pointed out. "Even that grudge-holding corporal knew that."  
  
"Oh. Got it."  
  
"I KNOW YOUR COUSIN!" Rivoche suddenly shouted, having realized Luke's relationship with the CURRENT Senator from Naboo.  
  
"And that will have to wait too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you didn't expect [Candace the Stormtrooper](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSBrUJOg788) (the guys on SpaceBattles certainly didn't)... And between being from a moisture farm on Tatooine and losing her father to the Tusken, she's obviously holding a grudge. And she's not the only Imperial who knows about Luke Skywalker, there's an Army cadet and a Flight School cadet who knows too. And those two are actually canon.


	10. Year 1 of the Empire: Raith Sienar being Raith Sienar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know that very first operative model of TIE fighter, fielded in limited numbers in the Clone Wars and preceding even the TIE/LN, actually had shields and missiles?

Wilhuff Tarkin didn't have many friends. There were many reasons for that, including the fact that he wasn't exactly a good friend to begin with, so he tried to keep the few who could put up with him. Such as Raith Sienar-who had just barged in his Coruscant apartment and went straight for his stash of breath of heaven he kept for visitors.

"What happened this time?" Tarkin asked, knowing it was better being direct with his mad genius friend while taking away the alcoholic beverage (the day Sienar had got sloshed had been more terrifying than everything he faced during the war put together).

"THEY'RE INSANE! THE NAVY'S WEAPON PROCUREMENT IS INSANE!" the scientist shouted.

"That I already knew, but-"

"They've accepted the reinforced pylon for mass production."

"Well, that's-wait, for mass production?"

"FOR! MASS! PRODUCTION!"

Tarkin had to agree, it was insane. Raith's Twin Ion Engine starfighter, inspired by the similar power plant of Revan's Rakatan-designed fighters, had been Raith Sienar's pet project for over a decade now, with the first operative model having been built by Quintad Orbital Manufacturing under license due the seizing of Republic Sienar Systems' assets in retaliation for the ambiguous position of the company (as in, most of the company assets were in the Tion Cluster and it had been a minor miracle Lianna and the main facilities had remained in Republic hands, so the factories controlled by the Separatists had supplied the Confederates-and the Senator from the Torranix Sector, the one where Incom was based, had painted it as war profiteering), and he had licensed a version of the SIE-TIE engine to Kuat Systems Engineering for their Eta-2 and Nimbus starfighters to procure more funding for the development, and as it was finally coming to a design fully powered by the twin ion engine he had presented a couple prototypes to the Imperial Navy for selection of which one to develop in a fully-fledged fleet starfighter... But they were mostly demonstrators, stripped down to a sensor system barely increased from what the Jedi would use, unshielded, without missiles, and even a bit cramped.

"It's absurd!" Tarkin blurted out.

"And they nearly took away the ejection seat! I had to thank a SITH, of all people, if I managed to keep that one! I was in a shouting match with that idiot Grant about it when he started choking, and then that Dark Helmet or whatever he's called arrived and said "The ejection stays" and left before the jackass resumed breathing... They're gonna make me appear a hack fighter designer! What's wrong with this people?!"

Tarkin bit back the remark about the pilots' lives, as it was precisely Raith Sienar's loose ethics (as long as it didn't mess with common sense) that allowed the mad scientist to cope with the Moff being a high-functioning sociopath, and instead took the chance he had just been offered.

"What's wrong is that the Emperor is the main Sith, and is restructuring the galaxy in his image." he said.

"What."

Tarkin said nothing, and just showed him both some of Mace Windu's evidence and what little he had found since then.

"I take you're planning to do something about that?" Raith asked.

"My associates and I have to play the long game, but yes, I'm planning something." Tarkin confirmed.

"Count me in. I'm not letting such a madman rule the galaxy if I can do something about that. That man's capable to take my Expeditionary Battle Planetoid and stick on it some giant khyber-augmented turbolaser to blow up planets, we can't let him do-he's doing that right now, isn't he?"

"I was assigned the job to supervise it earlier this day, with Orson Krennic being the director and designing the hull personally."

"Well, at least he's having someone competent on that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here he comes-Wilhuff Tarkin's best friend, Raith Sienar. An amoral genius scientist who came up with the design of what would eventually become the Death Star, discarded it as unworkable, and then _made it doable_ because why not... And it always struck me weird that such an individual would come up with something as bad as the TIE/LN, especially as the previous model had shields and missiles, so I blamed someone who wouldn't care of the pilots getting the right job to do pull that stunt. Worry not, Octavian Grant shall meet his doom.


	11. Year 15 of the Empire: Rivoche Tarkin stops being underestimated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final one of the "Tarkins on Tatooine" chapters, with our friend the Grand Moff finally realizing how smart his niece is. Seriously, the Legends RPG makers went dangerously close to make a Mary Sue when they created Rivoche...

Tarkin was finally preparing to go back to Eriadu (also noting to his amusement that his niece seemed to have a bit of a crush on young Skywalker, and he on her. The idea of Vader's reaction to finding out _who_ his son was crushing on had made for some interesting imagine spots) when Rivoche came out of her cabin with a happy yet determined expression. He _really_ hoped to be wrong about what she had in mind, he didn't want to sterilize the young Skywalker and they didn't have protection on board.  
  
"Uncle, I know how to make Tatooine _green_." she said.  
  
What?  
  


* * *

  
  
Vader's shuttle was halfway from Tatooine and the Hydian Way on the voyage back to Mustafar when he got Tarkin's call-and his preposterous assertion.  
  
 ** _"What?"_** he asked.  
  
 _"My niece."_ Tarkin said, looking almost as surprised as he felt as he explained. _"Gideon always said she's smarter than Raith Sienar and nowhere as crazy, and what she said about turning Tatooine green_ makes sense _. Please, hear her out."_  
  
Vader nodded, and on the holoprojector Tarkin was replaced by his niece.  
  
 _"Well, you know Tatooine being a desert has always been a mystery-the distance from the twin suns would make for a garden world, yet it's a desert."_ she started. _"Orbital bombardment millennia ago has been proposed as an explanation, but then the water should be in the clouds and have already started raining back down, and then there's the strange magnetic anomaly of the metal extracted on Tatooine, some underground lakes-in short, it's a mystery that I may have solved after meeting your lordship."  
  
 **"How so?"**  
  
"Well, after taking down that Tusken-raised Jedi I went and saw that, as the Jedi of old used to, he wrote a book on his native culture, and the ancient Tusken legends say that, millennia ago, Tatooine was indeed a garden world until invaded by sky demons with pointy heads, protruded eyes, and spears with tips of fire, and when they rebelled they made fire rain and burned the world into a desert. If we take that as true, Tatooine was invaded by the Rakatans, who were pushed back and retaliated by glassing the planet. But that wouldn't explain the rest... Then I saw you use the Force and I realized it wasn't just some made-up trick, and the Rakatans were said to be all Force users, far more evil than your predecessors are recorded to be and with greater knowledge of its uses. And considering a Sith created the Rakghoul, I think the Rakatans left behind some Force device that keeps most water underground and makes Tatooine's ores magnetically anomalous."  
  
 **"It's-It's possible. And far too likely. I will come and find it**_ **immediately _._** _ **"**  
  
"I took the liberty of making some guesses on its likely location, based on available minerary data."_  
  


* * *

  
  
Looking shocked, Tarkin walked in the Lars' dining room, where his niece and their hosts had been waiting for him  
  
"Congratulation, Rivoche: lord Vader found and disabled the Rakatan artifact exactly where you thought it was." the Grand Moff said after receiving the communication from Darth Vader, both Imperial officials still surprised at the young girl's achievement. "At least the planet can begin to recover, though it'll take a while."  
  
"Millennia-unless the Empire deploys some terraforming equipment to accelerate the process." Rivoche said.  
  
"So, we should rely on help from the Core?" Luke asked skeptically.  
  
"Terraforming equipment is now under the direct purview of the Imperial Ruling Council, not the Senate. There won't be any problem."  
  


* * *

  
  
 _"I'm afraid the request is denied-terraforming equipment is expensive and dangerous, and we won't deploy it for a lost cause."_ the Grand Vizier Mas Amedda said via Holonet  
  
"But-" Rivoshe started before her uncle cut her off.  
  
"We understand." he said. "Good day, Grand Vizier."  
  
As soon as Mas Amedda's head had disappeared, Rivoche turned to her uncle, trying to form some words. The Senate at least would have looked at her proposal and the available data, and these hacks instead just refused it out of hands... Then she saw how resigned he looked. Almost as if he had been expecting it.  
  
"I... I think I'll be in my cabin." she said.  
  
"She's a strong girl. She'll recover soon, and find some way to at least accelerate the planet's healing." Tarkin said to his hosts.  
  


* * *

  
  
After coming back on the ship, Tarkin went to his niece' cabin, but she didn't answer when he called her.  
  
"I'm respecting your privacy by knocking, but asserting my authority as your guardian by coming in anyway." he said, entertaining for a moment the idea of coming in by destroying the door with a battering ram before instead overriding Rivoche' lock with his own password to all of the _Carrion Spike_ 's doors. And found the cabin empty.  
  
Thinking she had gone to the head, Tarkin went to his cabin-and there he found his niece, looking at the security footage of then-Chancellor Palpatine fighting the Jedi that tried to arrest him. And it was right at the moment he started to cry for help for the benefit of his audio recording device before killing Kit Fisto.  
  
"What are you doing here?!" he whisper-screamed.  
  
"It's been since I came to your home that I've been finding some of your activities strange-no offense, but you aren't as subtle as you think-and after what happened earlier I decided to check that secret database you thought you had hidden from me." she said. "We're all under the rule of a tyrant, aren't we?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"I'm in. Whatever you're doing to help the Rebels, I want to join in."  
  
For a moment, Tarkin thought to refuse. Then he realized that Gideon had clearly _underestimated_ Rivoche' intelligence, considering how easily she had seen through his ruse where a politically-experienced _Sith_ didn't even suspect him, and instead said: "I suppose it can only help. What do you propose?"  
  
"Well, this is all the evidence I had against princess Organa, nothing damning yet, plus what I think was the main Fulcrum's location before the Mutiny." she said while producing a data stick and terrifying her uncle with the now demonstrated ability to track down commander Tano without moving from Coruscant. Then she gave him a predatory smile and said: "How about we draw a parallel between the Empire and the Contispex dinasty?"  
  
"That propaganda coup is starting right now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Rivoche Tarkin is JUST. THAT. GOOD. In Legends, when she decided to help the Rebels she simply walked to a Rebel agent she just _knew_ (and it happened to be Biggs Darklighter, then a cadet at the academy) with information about an Imperial strike that would have wiped out a Rebel unit-and thus became a deep cover Rebel agent, because she had been smart enough to track them down and always had good information. And by the time the ISB realized there was a Rebel spy with privileged access she had already a way to get extracted-and got out right under the nose of the ISB boss (the only man smart enough to actually discover her. He probably had a heart attack when he realized that).


	12. Year 15 of the Empire: Wilhuff Tarkin makes an historical comparison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I suppose you were wondering what the hell Rivoche was planning to do to the Empire that her uncle was already setting up… Here it is. All the mentioned posters can be found on Wookiepedia.

As far as Tarkin was concerned, the second most self-sabotaging thing the Emperor had done about him was to gift him the _Carrion Spike_ , as it’s exceedingly easy for him to justify the disappearances needed for his role as a Rebel leader: he was a known perfectionist who’d easily go around for surprise inspections, and the _Carrion Spike_ had a cloaking device, and that, combined with the astonishing class _0.4_ hyperdrive Raith Sienar had installed during the post-Berch Teller refit, was a perfect excuse to drop off the radar for a while to help his personal force or, as in this case, meet his colleagues on his ship’s meeting room. Even if some he’d prefer were on the Empire’s side.  
  
“Are you serious, Tarkin?” Garm Bel Iblis, former Senator for the Corellian Republic and alleged war profiteer, asked after his proposal.  
  
“I am not-once the Empire is overthrown we need to install a provisional government with emergency powers to settle things, lest the less savory or competent elements of the Senate cause a mess.” the Grand Moff repeated. “It would obviously not be led by me, I’ve been in the military for too long for such a role, but it will have to happen.”  
  
“And how, exactly, do you expect the people to accept it?” Bel Iblis asked, with Mon Mothma and Bail Organa nodding after him.  
  
“That I’ve thought about for a while now, and I wouldn’t have advanced the proposal if I didn’t have a plan to achieve that. Allow me to introduce you my proof of concept.”  
  
Tarkin pulled a poster from under the table, and unfurled it. It was a copy of the “Loyal? Prove It!” COMPNOR recruitment poster, only with the slogan replaced by the words “The Goddess Wills It”. He repeated the same with a copy of the “Leadership, Order, Power” Imperial propaganda poster, the slogan similarly replaced with “The Goddess Wills It”. Tarkin reached under the table a third time, but Bel Iblis, half-amazed and half-horrified as the two other Rebel leaders, stopped him.  
  
“You are one sick bastard, you know?” Bel Iblis whispered.  
  
“My parents were married and my health is excellent.” Tarkin replied. “And if the shoe fits…”  
  
“Let’s do it.” Mon Mothma said, a rare predatory glint visible in her eyes.  
  
“Good. Now excuse me, but shortly before our meeting I’ve been informed that my brother Gideon has been killed in a mutiny on Erhynradd-a mutiny I can’t even blame on our beloved Emperor or his chief agent, the former would have been more spectacular and the latter would have chosen a more dignified excuse for the mutiny. I now have some fool to make an example of and a grieving niece to take care of-a very intelligent niece that has lived on Coruscant for years now and was kept in the dark about our pro-Rebel activities.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Princess Leia Organa was walking the halls of her academy on Coruscant, still feeling a bit guilty for her happiness that Rivoche Tarkin hadn’t been there when she had come from her latest “mercy mission”. As bad as it was feeling happy for her grieving, the fact was that the Grand Moff’s niece was quite intelligent and had been trying to find evidence of her Rebel activities, thought she hadn’t been as subtle as she thought and only had circumstantial evidence. Then she passed the recruitment poster for the COMPNOR Sub-Adult Group-and stopped in her tracks, seeing that the words “Join the SAGroup” had been replaced by “The Goddess Wills It”.  
  
“What in the world?!” she shouted, amazed at the sheer genius and ruthlessness of whoever had come up with _that_ piece of propaganda.  
  


* * *

  
  
Stormtrooper Corporal TK-90210 had just reached her newest assignment, the First Legion post on Atravis, and took a curious look at the Stormtrooper Corps’ recruitment poster. It was the classic “Join”… Then she saw that under it some subhuman had put “The Goddess Wills It” in place of “the Imperial Army”, and nearly shot it in anger.  
  
“Who _dares…_ ” she said. “Sure, we fight almost all the time against an enemy mostly made of aliens, but we aren’t-”  
  
Realizing what she had just said, TK-90210 gulped before reporting the poster to her officers. She hoped to not get too many double or triple shifts, she had a lot to think about.  
  


* * *

  
  
Contrary to what some of his followers believed, Sheev Palpatine, the Galactic Emperor, was not a human supremacist. As far he was concerned everything and everyone was inferior to him until proven otherwise, and hating someone for an accident of birth was just one of the many follies of his lessers, and one he found somewhat distasteful when applied to himself. Though not distasteful enough not to take advantage of it, as Ishin-Il-Raz and his COMPOR proved. But now Il-Raz had brought him a copy of the “We Fight, We Win” Imperial Forces recruitment poster, one where the invitation had been replaced with words that even most human supremacists found disgusting: “The Goddess Wills It”.  
  
“We need to let it blow over.” Palpatine decreed. “If we act any other way we just prove them right.”  
  
“I understand, the galaxy doesn’t need to think we’re the Pius Dea reborn.” Ishin-Il-Raz agreed. At least he had more sense than certain other people in the Imperial military.  
  


* * *

  
  
In his office on the Star Destroyer _Oriflamme_ , high admiral Octavian Grant took a look at the copy of the “Rise” poster he had just been presented with, the motto replaced with the words “The Goddess Wills It”.  
  
“Find the artist, and tell him that if he wants to compare the Empire to the greatest days of the Republic then he should use the Navy rather than the Stormtroopers.” he said. “And leave here the poster.”  
  
The crewman who had brought the poster obeyed the instructions, but as he left he, for the first time, wondered what kind of madman he was serving under.  
  


* * *

  
  
“Commander Faro, I feel I lack the cultural background to understand this poster’s significance.” the recently promoted admiral Thrawn told to his flagship’s commander, the poster in question being the classic “Join the Imperial Navy” poster with the slogan “The Goddess Wills It” on it.  
  
“It’s-it’s a reference to the Pius Dea Era of the Republic, sir.” the commander replied, hoping for a moment her superior wouldn’t ask more before deciding to volunteer the information. “The Pius Dea was a faith that sprung in the late Kymoodon Era, advocating purity of acts and actions, honesty, integrity, and the subjugation or extermination of all non-humans. At the end of that era the Senate was immensely corrupt, to the point the Supreme Chancellor Pers’lya was ineffective due the charges levied against him-”  
  
“Like Finis Valorum?”  
  
“No, sir-Valorum was ineffective but honest and there was no evidence against him, while Pers’lya was proven corrupt, impeached by the Senate, and assassinated by “unknown parties”. In his place was elected Aldon Contispex, a Pius Dea faithful well known for his integrity and honesty, in the belief he’d clean up the corruption and didn’t really believe to the anti-alien parts of his religion. And he indeed clean up the corruption-and replaced as many government officials as he could with Pius Dea faithfuls before creating a parallel navy of Cathedral Ships and launching a crusade against the Hutt, the first of a thousand years of wars fought by the Republic against aliens, even loyal citizens of the Republic, led by the nineteenth Chancellors of the Contispex Dynasty in the name of their Goddess, while the Jedi abandoned the Republic in disgust, Alsakan and his worlds seceded, and the Pius Dea clergy abandoned their integrity for nepotism and hedonism.  
“It was the worst thousand years of the Republic, worse than the Galactic Wars and the New Sith Wars-during those years the Republic was fighting a desperate battle against evil, but under the Pius Dea the Republic had been corrupted by evil. It endured for a thousand years until the Caamasi rediscovered the Jedi and enlisted their help against the Pius Dea. The Jedi managed to convince many in the regular Navy and even the human population to Renounce the Pius Dea and assembled a mighty alliance with the Alsakani, the Duros, the Herglics, the Hutt and many others, including the Tionese, and destroyed the Pius Dea, before installing their Grand Master Biel Ductavis as the Supreme Chancellor to reform the Republic while admiral Pers Pradeux reorganized the Navy.”  
  
“I understand. Thank you, captain.”  
  
As he watched his captain leave, Thrawn thought he _really_ understood what had happened. Some Rebel, possibly Nightswan, possibly the mythical “Moff Night Hammer”, had noticed the disturbing parallels between the rise of the Pius Dea and that of the Empire, and was taking advantage of it. Whoever had come up with it was a mad genius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pius Dea is a little known piece of the Legends continuity that always fascinated me, for a simple reason: it was the one period where the Galactic Republic was objectively worse than the Empire, engaged into genocide in such a systematic way even (most of) the Sith would have recoiled in horror. Even most human supremacists looked at the Pius Dea in disgust-and people just didn’t want to think about that era, hence why it took a sociopath or a genius teenager to first draw the parallel.


	13. Year 2 of the Empire: Saw Gerrera recovers some sense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been asked on how Tarkin would react to certain Rebel Alliance factions that use the name but are no different from criminals and other things, with Saw Gerrera’s Partisans having been called out specifically. So here’s the first of two chapters answering that question, with today’s being one where, for whatever reason, he feels they can be redeemed.

At their bases on Onderon, the officers of Saw Gerrera’s Partisans were preparing a new strike against the Empire when one of their troopers arrived and announced a Jedi had shown up.  
  
“What? Well, show them in!” Gerrera said, surprised but ready to accept the help-and even more surprised when it out to be a familiar face. “Ahsoka! I thought you were dead!”  
  
“It was a close thing.” she replied. “But let me ask you something: WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!”  
  
“Uh?!”  
  
“Execution of prisoners. Bombings without care for civilian casualties. When that leader from the Seswenna sector, the “Moff Night Hammer”, informed me, I couldn’t believe it! What’s next, attacking festivals to kill Imperial officials? Child soldiers?”  
  
“This isn’t your war!” one of the other leaders shouted.  
  
“Neither it was when she helped the old rebels against the Separatists.” Gerrera pointed out. “Ahsoka, what would you have us do?”  
  
“How did we win against the Separatists? What made them retreat?”  
  
Nobody answered. They remembered that all too well, they had conquered the people’s hearts-and, much to their shame, they had just realized their current actions weren’t helping.  
  
“How could we forget?” he said.  
  
“I know. It’s hard, but we must stay true to ourselves.” Ahsoka replied. “Look, I can’t stay for long, but Night Hammer sent a few things. Weapons to attack the Imperials directly, without risking the people.”  
  
“Goo-wait, and what would happen if we used them to continue our current tactics?”  
  
“He’d act to preserve the honor of the Rebellion against the Empire. His words.”  
  
“I see. And… Why are you trying not to laugh?”  
  
“Moff Night Hammer. Think about it.”  
  
“I-Oh, goddammit, that man is crazy. Moff Tarkin must be _furious_ at his gall...”  
  
That was when Ahsoka started laughing loudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As some have already guessed, “Moff Night Hammer” is Tarkin’s name as a Rebel leader. And it’s actually quite outrageous in-universe, especially if you know who’s behind that codename. I’ll get to it in a later chapter. For today, let me just tell you the Partisans in this universe were caught well before they could fall to the point the wider Rebellion kicked them out.


	14. Year 17 of the Empire: Tarkin gets rid of some fake Rebels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter we had a Rebel faction that was too extreme or otherwise criminal but let itself be redeemed. Today, we have one that didn’t… And my little homage to one of the most awesome pieces of fanmade SW media, Otaking77077’s short film.

In his office on Eriadu, Tarkin looked at the latest report on Rebel activities, and frowned. Apparently, the Triskel Force, a small Rebel group composed of one _Nebulon-B_ , two CR90s and three GR-75, plus two squadrons worth of X-Wings and Y-Wings, had not listened to his warnings about their “fundraising activities” and raided an aurodium-carrying ship from Kett Shipping. Not even weapons or military resources, precious metals. That Kett Shipping, a company formerly in the Trade Federation, was moving from Bordal to their sector capital Rseik to pay for upgrades to their hospitals. Without showing his annoyance at that happening again, he pushed a button on the room’s comlink and called for his aide.  
  
“Ensign, put me in contact with the _Violator_ , I have intelligence about some systems they should patrol.”

* * *

  
  
  
As her squadron reached the asteroid field near the orbit of Rango Tan, a pre-hyperdrive world, Jan Triskel was ready to break out the brandy. Sure, the latest raid had been difficult-even with that kind of cargo, who’d have expected Kett Shipping to use a Trade Defense Force surplus _Captor_ as a transport ship?!-and her ships sported some damage, but they had five thousand tonnes of _aurodium_. They could pay to repair and upgrade their ships, and even after dividing the rest she’d still have enough to retire on a resort planet.  
  
Before she could make the announcement, however, one of her sensor operators gave a chilling announcement: “Three Imperial ships have come out of hyperspace. IDs: ISDII _Violator_ , ISDII _Exterminator_ , INT _Inhibitor_.”  
  
“Sithspit! Keep an eye on them, and inform me immediately if they do anything funny.” she ordered, while wondering if Night Hammer had sold them for breaking his stupid rules. Then again, that squadron was known to get the jump even on Rebels that followed Night Hammer’s rules…  
  
For a few minutes the Imperial ships did nothing, just launching the usual combat patrol. And then-  
  
“Incoming!”  
  
Triskel moved to the screen, and saw what had to be half the enemy TIEs, plus some utility tugs, moving toward them, while the two Destroyers and the interdictor started moving in front of them. They were there for them, and they couldn’t run unless they took out the _Inhibitor_ ’s gravity well first.

* * *

  
  
  
“ _Enemies up ahead!”_ the voice of commander Triskel announced on the radio of Tim Ransoon’s X-Wing.  
  
“Affermative.” he replied, hiding the irritation at how obvious it was-or the fear at what was coming for them. There had to be a full wing… And given there were _two_ Star Destroyers and an Interdictor, it was less than half the enemy force.  
  
Quickly, they engaged the enemy force, whose pilots were extremely slippery and hard to hit, far harder than even most veteran TIE pilots. One of his shots scored a glancing hit on an eyeball, but the enemy just accelerated and killed his wingman with four accurate blasts.  
  
He quickly lost that one and scored two kills-and then his sensors warned him of a hard lock behind him. He set his shields fully backward just in time, as a TIE started firing on him with unerring accuracy.  
  
“ _Ransoon, behind you! Shake him off!”_ the radio “helpfully” shouted.  
  
He tried-and then, in quick succession, he suffered hits on the upper port thruster, the upper starboard thruster, _and_ his R2, this one hit by two laser bolts. In fear he looked behind him-and then his console exploded as the enemy fire hit his power generator and ignited the nearby fuel supply. He lived just enough to feel the fighter explode around him.

* * *

  
  
  
As the enemy TIEs started harassing her ships, Triskel realized she and her fleet were still alive only because the enemy didn’t want to risk hitting the planet with stray shots. Strange, but it gave them a chance, as their fighters still had some time to try and knock the gravity wells out. Then she saw that one of her pilots had wasted two torpedoes on a TIE fighter.  
  
“What the hell are you doing?! There’s an Interdictor there!” she shouted.  
  
“Four Y-Wings and one X-Wing on an attack run!” an operator announced. “Ready to fire… Torpedoes away!”  
  
That was it! They were about to escape! Then she felt a strange lurch and, for a moment, felt lighter than normal.  
  
“INT inverted gravity on their projectors and pushed away the torpedoes!” the operator announced. “We… We’ve lost our fighters.”  
  
She didn’t curse. Not even when she saw the enemy fighters taking down one of her corvettes’ thruster. She still had a card to play, some fighters whose approach was hidden to the enemy.

* * *

  
  
  
Tam Rykel knew the bombers he and the other X-Wing pilot were escorting were their group’s last hope. Their approach hidden to the enemy by the asteroid field, the two Y-Wing carried rare and powerful proton bombs. They would have to get very close, but even one would neutralize and possibly even destroy the Interdictor, letting them escape to enjoy the reward of their battle against the Empire.  
  
Then he realized there was a missile lock, and a TIE Bomber popped out performing a barrel roll, dodging his reflexive lasers before letting a swarm of concussion missiles loose. He survived just long enough to see a Fighter and an Interceptor join his killer.

* * *

  
  
  
“We’ve lost the second attack group!”  
  
Triskel was feeling ill, the news coming just as an Interceptor shot down their last X-Wing near her ship.  
  
“The enemy has cleared the planet! The enemy has cleared the planet!”  
  
At that she tried to move toward the closest escape pod. She wasn’t thinking, just trying to survive. Then her ship lost all shielding and power and was dead in space while also leaking all air.

* * *

  
  
  
“Run!” Lor Maskor shouted. By some luck his transport held over half the loot, and with Triskel dead they didn’t need to fear being tracked down. They just needed to clear the planet before the Interdictor came too close.  
  
He just realized that the enemy ships were three time as fast as his GR-75 before two blue bolts passed near his ship’s bow-and then he felt the lurch of a successful hit, followed by two others as they lost power and all systems, even artificial gravity, went down.  
  
“Ion cannons…” he whispered.  
  
Less than a minute later he saw that all the transports had been disabled by ion cannons while the corvettes had been destroyed (one by _TIE fighters!_ ). And then, an ATR-6 loomed over his ship.

* * *

  
  
  
“Permission denied, commander.” Tarkin said to the _Violator_ ’s commander. “We’ve intercepted transmissions that had been threatening a Rebel cell to come and take them down themselves if they didn’t stop with these pirates attacks, they won’t try and save them. Bring the pirates with you to Rseik and have them tried as soon as you’ve delivered the aurodium. Also leave the transports to be transferred to Kett Shipping as a refund from these pirates as soon as bureaucracy is taken care of, and cite my name to expedite things.”  
  
“ _By your command, sir.”_ the commander replied. _“Gaunt, out.”_  
  
With a smile, Tarkin mused on bringing him in. As ruthless and a bit of a hoarder as he was, the man was a shining example of what the Imperial Navy was supposed to stand for, law, order and peacekeeping, and owed his position to him noticing his skills and giving him what he needed to emerge. And knowing him and considering how fast he had been, he already had a few probes in the Rango Tan system even before being told to check it-he was that efficient. Maybe in a close future.  
  
So he returned to his job as the Imperially-appointed ruler of the Outer Rim, also content in having got rid of another blemish on the Rebellion’s honor without any Rebel force dirtying their hands.


	15. Year 15 of the Empire: Obi-Wan talks to Luke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something silly

The last time Obi-Wan's path had crossed Tarkin's, even indirectly, had been when Owen Lars had brought him the Grand Moff's message about having some plans for Anakin and asking not to take initiatives with Luke. A message he trusted mostly because Mace Windu had warned the Council about passing that information to Tarkin, and he knew the former admiral could be trusted, so he mostly stayed away. Now, however, he had to visit. He knew his former student hadn't done anything, but the simple fact he had visited the Lars homestead, combined with Tarkin, Luke and an unknown girl beating him to the punch in stopping the late Hett, made his visit necessary. And quite welcome to Luke.  
  
"Yes, I was a Jedi too. Your father's teacher, in fact." he admitted. "Though I'm not sure I can tell you some of our old adventures yet-your father was quite reckless, and you don't need that kind of example. Not here."  
  
Owen and Beru approved-they had heard from him some of Anakin's shenaningans, such as the AT-TE on the asteroid rings of Bothawui or his antics at Muunilist, and someone living on Tatooine didn't need that kind of example. Luke, on the other hand, didn't: "But why? He can't be that bad!"  
  
Luckily, he had the perfect counter: "Jedi were supposed to be celibate, yet he and your mother once came just this close to make out fully knowing I and Yoda, the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, were right next to them alongside a squad of Clonetroopers." He left out they had both just come out of near death, and that had been why the Jedi Order (not being nowhere near as closed minded as certain people thought) overlooked that slight, or why it took him a week to suspect they were closer than they were supposed to, but it got the point home.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Indeed. But there's a few things I could tell you-and teach you." the Jedi Master continued, knowing this was a good chance to start Luke's training and sell it to Owen. "A Jedi can feel other people's emotions, and given what you already know may be dangerous you could use that."  
  
Owen made to protest before realizing he had a point, and Beru didn't say anything. Luke, on the other hand, was doubtful.  
  
"I don't know. I mean, Jedi are outlawed now, and if the Grand Moff finds out... And I need to help with the farm, so I'm not sure I'd have the time." he said. Luckily, Obi-Wan knew he was dealing with a teenager, one with an obvious crush on another teenager.  
  
"It can also be useful to understand how someone likes you, or your actions, or your touch, so you can avoid enrag-"  
  
"On second thought, I can make the time."  
  
Luke's words and tone were innocent. How he blushed, on the other hand, told him he had picked up the subtext. And it was even true. After all, one of the reasons Jedi were supposed to be celibate was that their empathic abilities allowed them to instinctively tailor their actions in the bed to their partners' actual preferences and be what was commonly called "sex gods", and _that_ had spread far more havoc than they cared to admit with people far less resilient than the Tarkins.


	16. Year 2 of the Empire: Tarkin confronts an officer and gentleman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one features the most resilient of all Imperial officers, and possibly the greatest Star Destroyer captain known to the fandom-though he doesn't have a Star Destroyer yet here. Written with AndrewJTalon's permission.

"Captain Pellaeon reporting for duty, sir." the veteran former Judicial said as he entered the office of Wilhuff Tarkin, the Moff having requested his ship for the fleet supporting the impending negotiations with the Mon Calamari.  
  
"Please take a seat, captain." the Moff replied. "Now, you brought the _Leveler_ in multiple battles during the war, correct?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Did you, in any occasion, hit your head?"  
  
"Er... No, sir."  
  
"Funny, your choices in marriage speak of uncharacteristic madness."  
  
That, Pellaeon had not expected. Not from Tarkin, he was reputed to not care much for those things: "Sir, I assure you, my wife may be Mirialan, but-"  
  
"Biologically Mirialans are nothing but humans with biological adaptations to the environment on Mirial. They may look funny, but as long as they can generate fertile offspring with so-called baseline humans I don't see reason to discriminate. And even then, I wouldn't care even if she was Grievous' daughter, and I assure you my vivid imagination is already punishing me for this, as long as you don't bring your kinks on your workplace. Point is, Grievous' daughter was not a Jedi imprisoned and awaiting trial for terrorism, mass murder, and high treason that we lost track of during Operation Knightfall."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Oh indeed. Why, exactly, when you somehow found Barriss Offee, you married her rather than report her?"  
  
"Sir... I can't explain, not logically. She was just lost, and, well, blaming herself for everything. Especially for forcing Ahsoka Tano away from Skywalker, she said she could have helped him with his marriage and maybe put him in position to make things right. After a while, after she calmed down, she even tried to turn herself in."  
  
"And letting her would have been the smart and _honorable_ thing to do." the Moff said as he put a shot glass, a bottle of Whyren's Reserve, and his SE-14r blaster on the table. "Now, I believe she acted lawfully ever since, aside lying on her marriage certificate. I'll now go and verify that."  
  
As the Moff left the room, Pellaeon knew what he was being asked to do. He wasn't a drinker, not really, but if a superior officer offered some, especially such a rare one, it would impolite to refuse, so he poured a single shot, drunk it, recovered from the liquor's punch, put the blaster at his head and pulled the trigger-before realizing he was still alive.  
  
"The smart and honorable thing, captain, but not necessarily the right one." the Moff said as he came back with a smile and a small holoprojector. "Now, let me reveal you something about the right thing. And why I'll need you to keep an eye on your future superior officers, captain-or why your wife did far less damage than she thinks. Though I'm starting to wonder how bad Skywalker was at hiding his relationship with Senator Amidala."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, many thanks to AndrewJTalon for letting me use his personal idea on Barriss Offee-or should we call her lady Barriss Pellaeon now? Doesn't matter. What matters, I believe, is that in the end she was a tragic villain, and deserves at least a conclusion to her tale.


	17. Year 2 of the Empire: Tarkin discovers strange technology

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to you all, the Ganathan and their technology are not my creation! Blame Legends for that!

When Tarkin had taken the cloaked _Carrion Spike_ to explore the Oktos Nebula he had been ready for strange things-after all the whole reason he was there was to check if a Jedi had survived thanks to Vader, as usual, not checking if he had finished the job (then again it was near Nar'Shaddaa and a radioactive nebula was involved, so for once it was understandable), and Jedi tend to get involved with weird things. On the other hand, this was weird even for Jedi-related encounters.  
  
"I'm sorry, did you just say that ship is leaving a trail of _steam_?!" he asked his sensor operator.  
  
"That's what the sensors say." the operator meekly replied.  
  
"Not so strange, steam rockets are actually a viable technology, if primitive." the captain pointed out. "And by the looks of that ship, this people has been isolated for a while. What is that ship's power plant, by the way?"  
  
"Nuclear fusion."  
  
"Very well, decloak and send out first contact package." Tarkin ordered. "And keep the torpedo launchers ready, just in case."  
  
"Package sent." the comms officer announced. Then, quite surprised, she continued with: "They're hailing us-in Basic."  
  
"Put them over." Tarkin ordered with a smile-if they spoke Basic, and not Huttese, it could be a hint that their target was indeed alive.  
  
 _"This is the_ Robida Colossus _, of the Ganathan people. You will follow us to port-or you will be fired on and destroyed."_  
  
"Follow them, this is their space after all."  
  
  
Once in port there was a good news, and a series of bad news. The good one was that Empatojayos Brand was alive and in charge. The bad news was that Vader had done quite a number on him, forcing the locals to turn him into a cyborg, and wasn't happy to see them.  
  
"Give me one reason I shouldn't have you executed here and now." he demanded. "The Ganathan helped me, and if your Empire and its Sith, Darth Vader, find out, they will be punished for it."  
  
"Miss Verla, that's your cue." Tarkin said.  
  
At the words, the only civilian in Tarkin's group advanced and stood in front of the maimed Jedi.  
  
"My name is Verla." she said. "I am a Force sensitive and the last survivor of the Disciples of Barr, and before confronting Darth Vader he sent me to find a Jedi to complete my training."  
  
"Did that mad Padawan win?" Brand asked-and he obviously meant it, Barr was both half-crazy and highly intelligent, he could have cooked up something.  
  
"No, but he provided important information to those who would fight the Emperor-and when confronted by Clonetroopers and Inquisitors, that is Jedi who joined the Sith, he triggered Order 66." Tarkin explained with a smile.  
  
It took five minutes for Brand to stop laughing.  
  
"That kid was amazing." Brand admitted once he got himself back together. "Still, I don't know what good fighting Palpatine will do, not without taking down Vader's influence on him."  
  
"Palpatine is the main Sith, and Vader the pawn." Tarkin explained.  
  
"What?! But he was already ruling the galaxy!"  
  
"He's a Sith."  
  
"Point. But if Vader is the pawn... He's actually Skywalker and Palpatine used his friend-with-benefit Padme Amidala to manipulate and turn him, didn't he?"  
  
"Almost correct: they were married."  
  
Brand pinched his nose in frustration at the situation.  
  
"I know, I know." Tarkin admitted. "After all, once my cousin, the Senator, told me about their closeness I took our encounter on Carida as a chance to introduce Skywalker to my marriage counselor... But he didn't listen."  
  
"Assuming he even realized what you were hinting." Brand pointed out.  
  
"Point. Anyway, I came here to see if you were alive-and as you are, I would like you to take miss Verla as a Padawan. Barr entrusted her to me for this, and I'd prefer not bringing her to the other survivors I know about, in case they're discovered."  
  
"I shall do that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Empatojayos Brand is a Jedi originating from Legends. He survived the Jedi Purge and came to rule the Ganathan for almost three decades, during which he made some interesting guesses on how things had developed in the wider galaxy, before being found by Han during the events of _Dark Empire_. He also bears the honor of being the one who gave Palpatine his final death-and made sure he stayed dead by _literally dragging his soul to the afterlife_. Not bad for a quadruple amputee...


	18. Year 8 of the Empire: Tarkin and the efficiency expert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one involves one Legends character that thankfully was never made canon even back then. He shall remain unnamed, but if you recognize him you'll realize why I did that.

Tarkin was in an ornery mood. Being ordered away from the Tatooine relief effort to inspect a factory of Stormtrooper armor wasn't a problem, everyone, even the new planetary governor Tour Aryon (a non-Prophet member of the Secret Order of the Empire), got miffed at the Emperor for it. It wasn't even that the inspections were on Gilvaanen in the Inner Rim, the Emperor's usual tactic of playing his subordinates against each other were actually working for him-even if one of his collaborators didn't have a hand in it. It wasn't even finding out his Star Destroyer's XO had been promoted and was going to be posted somewhere else, he had made sure that, at the right moment, Rae Sloane would side with him out of sense of duty (she wasn't one to ask for favors. The Navy could use more people like her) and that promotion would help him on the long run, especially as she was high admiral material. No, it was that the Emperor was making him work with count Denetrius Vidian, an _efficiency expert_. Even if the available information made it seem he was actually efficient (a "miracle worker", according to Sloane), he would see it for himself-and hopefully find an excuse to do the galaxy a favor and see if he could make some Hutt choke on him.  
  
Still, he had a job to do, and even if he had made a habit of sharing his subordinates' bland meals unless it was on his own money (it had been a matter of efficiency when he got the habit as a lieutenant, if he shared the crew's meal they wouldn't waste energy and space for dedicated officer meals. He hadn't found out the rank and file loved him for that until Even Piell pointed it out during the Clone Wars) he shouldn't ruin his own digestion with that.  
  
"I need your opinion." the count said (his voice surprisingly normal for a cyborg with modifications more extensive than even Vader) as he sat down next to him in the mess hall. "The crew seems to hate me for some reason, and I have no idea why."  
  
"That is easily explained, count." Tarkin said, grabbing the chance for a little venting. "Tell me, what is a flak cannon, and what does it do?"  
  
"It's a type of mass driver weapon of Urthhan origin, optimized to fire flak shells, that is a type of proton or concussion warhead with a peculiar fragmentable casing. The primary purpose of this weapon, obtained by setting the shells to detonate at a predeterminate distance, is to harass enemy sub-corvette combat aircrafts and spacecrafts with the threat of destruction, forcing them to manouver in such ways their mission will be hindered and the vehicles themselves will be more vulnerable to attack from allied vehicles and cannons. A secondary function for heavy flak weapons is to directly strike at enemy ships of cruiser rating and heavier, shooting them down or at least causing shield damage, while lighter ones can do the same with enemy corvettes and frigates. Light ones, being found exclusively in Army service, are also sometime used against enemy ground forces, assuming the rarer concussion flak shells are available. Finally they can sometime actually shoot down enemy sub-corvettes, though such results are nothing but a side benefit resulting from incompetence on the target's part."  
  
"Impressive. Everything you said was correct."  
  
"Uh?"  
  
"So far, you're the first efficiency expert affiliated to the military who actually knows what they're talking about. The _Imperial_ -class was originally designed with an estensive high-efficiency mass driver suite capable of firing both flak shells and heavy high-acceleration concussion missiles, with those weapons being directly responsible for the _Imperator_ 's ability to decimate Separatist fighters and shoot down a _Subjugator_ at close range before falling during the Battle of Coruscant, yet efficiency experts assumed that shooting down enemy fighters was the primary purpose, saw the abismal round-to-kill ratio, and ordered said suite removed without increasing the amount of point defense laser cannons, thus leading to numerous Star Destroyer losses at the hands of enemy fighters armed with proton weapons. On the ground side, efficiency experts saw the rate of fire of blaster rifles and carbines and ordered the removal of light repeating blasters from the line squads, causing countless deaths among both infantry and Stormtroopers, and are resisting their much needed reintroduction. I don't know if you're involved in the latter decision, and I know for certain you weren't involved with the former by the fact you're here," After all, the "experts" responsible for the ISD's weakness had "disappeared". Coincidentally Lira Wessex had found out just a few days before their disappearance, and the ISD's head designer's mood had been fouler than Vader's on PMS until then. "but you're still an efficiency expert. Thus, suspect." Tarkin gave the count a reluctant smile before pulling out his comlink. "Still, it's time to give you your due." With that he activated the comlink for a ship-wide announcement, and spoke: "To all crew, this is the Grand Moff. I have just determined that count Denetrius Vidian, the efficiency expert, actually makes sure to know what he's supposed to improve before doing his job."  
  
Before the cyborg could process the fact Tarkin had felt necessary make a ship-wide announcement, a sailor grabbed his tray and brought it away before coming back with a new one with the same exact rations.  
  
"I take you had stomach issues in the previous days?" Tarkin asked with an unsettling smile.  
  
Behind that smile, however, Tarkin was seething. Yes, the efficiency expert knew his job-but that only meant he was endangering _his_. He really, really hoped his agent on Gilvaanen had done everything as usual-Quelton Fabrication, the Stormtrooper armor contractor they were to inspect, was crucial to the success of the future uprising.

* * *

  
Quelton had been inspected, and the owner, the armor enthusiast Thetis Quelton, had pleasantly surprised Tarkin by having a pre-made excuse for her inefficiency, the strikes at the subcontractor Cladtech. An Ithorian-owned and Ithorian-employiing company, ready to divert suspicions from most Imperials-but not Vidian. At Cladtech Vidian had quickly identified the owner, Mawdo Larrth, as the strikers' ringleader on Quelton's behest, but before dealing with him he had found the calling card of Tarkin's agent-a disk with two smaller disks attached in a sort of open triangle, and asked the Grand Moff to summon both Larrth and Quelton to a meeting at the latter's manor. And there they were, with Tarkin looking at the two saboteurs, Larrth looking nervous, Quelton playing with the helmet of a Pikaati armor from her collection, and Vidian producing both the disk and the filtration system of a Stormtrooper helmet, device that bore the same symbol.  
  
"This system contains bottleneck spores, fatal to humans." Vidian announced. "Combined with the recordings we found at Cladtech it would be obvious that you slowed down production so that you could put infected filtration systems in more helmets, killing thousands of Stormtroopers and costing more credits to the Empire as we track the saboteur down-if we hadn't found this crest."  
  
"Wait, what crest?" Quelton asked.  
  
"This little triple disk is the personal crest of a Hyperionian Jedi Master." Tarkin explained. "One that could have been on the High Council had it not been for his tendency for attachments and penchant for making money, especially in the entertainment business-at one point he somehow acquired Kailio Entertainments just to kill off their Baby Ludi holovid, on a whim. He is known for putting his crest on everything, including modifying his astromech with two disks just to mimic it, and for having escaped termination when Order 66 was issued."  
  
"It's clear the Jedi manipulated you." Vidian continued. "Given the circumstances, you won't be punished, just go back and meet your quotas."

* * *

  
  
  
After the two Imperial officials left, Quelton turned to her confederate and asked: "Did you see any Jedi?"  
  
"No... But I'm not complaining." Larrth replied. "We dodged a bolt here..."  
  
"A thank you would be appreciated."  
  
The voice, almost childish, came from the ventilation system, too small for everyone. Everyone but the pint-sized individual whose head resembled that Jedi's crest that just came out of it.  
  
"Hi, I'm the Jedi who just covered for you-don't worry, I have a reputation and I'm willing to use it." the now identified Jedi said. "I'm part of a network of organizations opposing the Empire, and you, Thetis Quelton, got our attention. Tell me, could you design an improved Stormtrooper armor for the day of the uprising?"  
  
"YES!" Quelton replied, Life Day having just come early for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bit about the Imperial _in_ efficiency experts screwing over the Imperial military is my deduction: during the Clone Wars we saw just how formidable flak weapons were both on the ground (see Ryloth and Second Geonosis. In the latter, Ki-Adi-Mundi identified it by name) and in space (see again Ryloth-and even the Battle of Coruscant, when the _Invisible Hand_ managed to fend off the _Guarlara_ precisely thanks to the flak cannons used at short range, though it didn't prevent the Star Destroyer from wrecking it), yet it's absent from the Imperial Navy, and during the same conflict we saw the Clonetroopers using two different kinds of light repeating blasters the same way modern armies use their real world equivalent, the squad automatic weapon, with excellent results, yet Legends describes the basic unit of the Imperial Army, the line squad, as armed with blaster rifles and carbines only until repeated losses against Rebel troops prompted their reintroduction, and a rather slow one. Someone had to have screwed the Imperial military over, and I found a combination of incompetent efficiency experts being given free hands so the Emperor can find the funds for his many superweapons would explain it. Though I wonder how much was the efficiency experts and how much was Palpatine, considering that he'll eventually work Vidian into insanity...


	19. Year 1 of the Empire: Wilhuff Tarkin raises an army 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a cute one. All the ships mentioned except the _Night Hammer_ class are canon.

Rear admiral Maarisa Zsinj, the Ace of the Spacelanes, was one odd individual. Most Chandrilans avoided the Tapani sector like a Rakghoul infestation if they could, yet she had _married_ someone from there (a mechanic from Fondor, as even she couldn't suffer the local nobles), and let her husband name their only son only by his family name as per his traditions. Core Worlders that wanted to join the Republic's security forces and actually make a difference enrolled in the Judicials, but she had taken then-governor Wilhuff Tarkin's policy of accepting anyone who wanted to help to enroll in the Outland Regions Security Force. Once the Clone Wars started most ORSF officers remained with the local units and their smaller ships, but she instead took Tarkin pledging it to the Republic's armed forces outright to get her Star Destroyer, the _Retaliation_. And now, branded a pirate by the Empire and having barely escaped her own son trying to blow her up, she once again defied sense and answered the call to report at the supposedly destroyed battlestation Piell Memorial rather than try and stay alive somewhere else. And as she saw what was there she didn't regret it at all.  
  
"Tell me what types of ships we have here." she ordered her sensor operators.  
  
"Detecting C70" the refitted _Consulars_ "Invincible light cruiser" ORSF _Consular_ refit "DP20" the new Corellian gunships "CC-2200, modified" the interdictors " _Night Hammer_ " the Quintad-made cruisers, pride of the ORSF " _Captor_ " impounded Trade Defense Force ships " _Munifex_ " same as above.  
  
"Enough." she ordered. She could see other types, including a _Dreadnought_ , but all of them were found in either the Outland Region Security Force or the 18th Army, the Night Hammer Command-and in fact, the _Night Hammers_ were exclusive to the ORSF, the long-standing grudge match between the Greater Seswenna's premier shipwrights of Quintad Orbital Manufacturing and the Judicial Forces preventing them from being adopted by anyone but the Greater Seswenna's own security force before the Clone Wars started, while the Tarkins and the other Quintad families' refusal to pay the proper bribes resulting in many at the Imperial High Command trying to have it phased out. This looked like some kind of organized opposition to the Empire-and she not only wanted in, and she wanted to know who had the intestinal fortitude to set something like that up inside Wilhuff Tarkin's fief.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Should have seen it coming." she said as none else than Wilhuff Tarkin entered the meeting room of Piell Memorial. "Should have seen it coming, so why didn't I?"  
  
"I blame that on your son's acting skills." Tarkin replied. "After all, when I assigned you to fake trying to steal your command and then pretend to try and take you in he was quite convincing in his matricidal intentions. Though I suspect he'd have _actually_ tried to steal your command if I didn't see fit getting his collaboration early."  
  
"He's not _that_ bad. But seriously, what gives? I didn't think you'd see what your friend is pulling."  
  
"I assure you, Raith Sienar is on our side-he's even developing a version of the TIE/LN with proper equipment just for us. But if you were referring to His Majesty... I assure you, him being my friend is a delusion that I saw through."  
  
With those words, Tarkin presented the assembled commanders with footage of the Jedi trying to arrest the Chancellor... And being brutally slaughtered.  
  
"As you have just seen, Sheev Palpatine happens to be Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith." Tarkin explained. "Darth Vader is merely is apprentice, formerly being a psychologically vulnerable Jedi that the then-Chancellor spent some fourteen years into corrupting to his side, ever since the Jedi was nine. And before anyone asks no, Palpatine did not take advantage of him in physical ways-that kind of attitude stems from unconscious doubts in one own's self and a need to assuage said doubts by dominating someone else, and if Palpatine has one _uncorrupted_ virtue that is an unshakeable belief in himself."  
  
"Now what?" line captain Claborg (a Parwan, who had been with Tarkin since the destruction of "The Slave Fortress That Does Not Exist") asked.  
  
"The same thing my late cousin did last time the Core Worlds screwed up. He may have let his prejudices get the best of him in his final years, but the idea was good. It will take at fifteen years, likely more, and we'll need help, even from those few Core Worlders who actually care. Are you with me?"  
  
"To the end of the galaxy and beyond." Claborg said.  
  
"Someone has to do this." Maarisa Zsinj added. "But what are we going to call ourselves?"  
  
Tarkin gave a predatory smile, and everyone realized it was going to be so ridiculous it would turn around and be awesome.  
  


* * *

  
  
"So, the new insurgent group in the Greater Seswenna calls itself the _Republic_ Outland Regions Security Force-like a certain paramilitary force when your cousin wanted it to be the prototype for the Old Republic military." Mas Amedda, the Grand Vizier, demanded from the urgently summoned Moff. "And their leader calls himself "Moff Nigh Hammer"-your rank, and your old command. Care to explain that?"  
  
"Because _I_ am the Moff Night Hammer and I formed it to overthrow the Empire, obviously." Tarkin replied, getting the Emperor to snicker at the idea. Poor arrogant fool.  
  
"This isn't a joke!"  
  
"Then why did you make such a ridiculous question? Here, let me explain it to you: in the Outer Rim we have little patience for the Core's shenaningans, so Seswennans insurgents that feel the Empire is as bad if not worse than the Republic in its last decaying years would choose the name of the military that brought back peace and freedom to their space to oppose it; in its original use, millennia before the True Sith Empire tried to pervert it, the title of Moff was given to the warlords and kings that choose to join the early Republic rather than fight it and ruled the Allied Regions in its name, thus their leader using it to invoke the image of an enlightened king or warlord, and as you said "Night Hammer Command" is the nickname of the Greater Seswenna military command. Does my explanation satisfy you, Your Excellence?"  
  
"You... You..."  
  
"Calm down, Mas, it was quite obvious." the Emperor said. "And quite fortunate, that man just provided me an excuse to justify your transfer to Sentinel Base to survey Project Stardust. A little "punishment", we'll say."  
  
"As you command."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is: Tarkin forms his Rebel cell. And his name of "Moff Night Hammer" is just as outrageous as promised.


	20. Year 4 of the Empire: Wilhuff Tarkin raises an army 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually something Tarkin did in both Canon and Legends, though with a variation of intents.

"I admit I didn't expect it would be livable so soon." Tarkin stated in the currently main hangar bay of the DS-1 "Imperial Planetary Ore Extractor" (whoever had come up with that cover name deserved a raise, Tarkin decided). "You and your collaborators are surpassing my expectations."  
  
"Why, thank you." Orson Krennic, director of "Project Stardust", replied, wondering what his superior in the "Tarkin Initiative" think tank and potential rival for the Emperor's favor was planning.  
  
"I trust it'll be as unassailable as it's supposed to be once I'll take command."  
  
"Wait, what? This is _my_ achievement, not yours!"  
  
Tarkin looked at the director, genuinely puzzled. He had expected more sense from him-but if nothing else such unrealistic expectations explained some of his attitude.  
  
"Director, who is better in hitting a target with a DC-15 blaster, the designer or a trained soldier?" Tarkin asked.  
  
"The soldier-hold on, is that what you're saying? How you'll take my credit?"  
  
"This station is the most astonishing engineering feat in the known universe. The only artificial object that surpasses it in size is Centerpoint Station, and that one isn't mobile. History _will_ remember you for designing it and for supervising the other aspects of this station, but I'm afraid that you're qualified to lead it into battle just as I am to design it."  
  
"I-I see."  
  
It wasn't what Tarkin had hoped for, but it was all he could realistically expect from the ambitious director. Once he calmed down he'd get around, he was an intelligent and normally sensible man.  
  
"The only ways I'm qualified to help this project is making sure you receive what you need for the actual job and a few other measures, including the one that is disembarking from the troop transports right now."  
  
Tarkin was referring to thousands of armed men, all carrying the standard DH-17 blaster carbine of the Naval regiments but otherwise looking much different. The Imperial Navy Infantry Corps uniform still consisted in the azure shirt, grey pants, black vest and boots, and white and black elongated helmets in use since the early days of the New Sith Wars and kept in use during the "Great Peace of the Republic" by many planetary defense forces and the Judicials' naval infantry before the Republic Navy and its infantry were restored, the only change being that they wore the Imperial Crest in a patch on their left sleeve while their predecessors had worn the Galactic Roundel. These men instead wore all-black pants, shirts, boots, gloves and helmets, the latter being of a design closer to the Imperial Army's helmet but enlarged. After they deployed in parade formation in front of the two commanders, Tarkin addessed them.  
  
"Welcome to your new assignment." Tarkin said. "I'm sure you wonder _what_ this assignment is, you've been taken from your units, assembled in brand-new ones, and made train together to properly form it, all without being told what you're supposed to do, and then brought to this immense station. The answer is simple: you are the best men of the Imperial Navy Infantry Corps, chosen for the skills at your job and unmatched ability to keep proper secrecy, among other things, and will guard this battlestation. Born from the union of an idea of Raith Sienar himself and a planned Separatist superweapon they thankfully lacked the ability to actually build, once completed the DS-1 Orbital Battlestation shall serve as a mobile naval base for the largest fleets and to break sieges by destroying planetary shields, with enough power to wipe out the planet under them if the threat is vile enough. And _you_ , the Death Star Troopers, will guard it, both during construction and after completion. The whole galaxy trusts you."  
  
And with that, another part of Tarkin's plan was in place. It would take time, but the crew would be entirely composed by people who'd put their duty to the people of the galaxy before the one to the Empire-and any exception would have to deal with them. Now, how he'd justify modifying their uniform to include some armor to take even on Stormtroopers, just in case?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In both Canon and Legends the Death Star Troopers were the closest thing Tarkin had to a personal army, created specifically for the Death Star and so influential their uniform was eventually adopted by the whole Imperial Navy for their soldiers. Here, of course, they also have another job... Though they don't know that yet.


	21. Year 8 of the Empire: Tarkin finds a genius saboteur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Addressing the you-know-what of the You-Know-What.

If he had to tell the truth, Galen Erso had expected Wilhuff Tarkin's office to be smaller, and more spartan. Then again, he had met a commodore whose office was far more lavishly decorated, well beyond masterpiece pictures of Pers Pradeux, Blotus, and a few other legendary figures in Republic's history, models of every single ship commanded by Tarkin in the past, guns, hunting trophies, and a small primitive stone knife. It was likely as little luxury as Tarkin could afford given his rank.  
  
"Please, take a seat." Tarkin said after coming to the door to greet him. "I must say I'm surprised director Krennic managed to convince you to rejoin the Project last year."  
  
"He was quite... Persuasive." Erso admitted, biting down the anger at the Grand Moff rubbing it in.  
  
"I can imagine."  
  
Tarkin activated a small holoprojector, showing him his daughter, Saw Gerrera, and a Togruta he suspected was his friend Ahsoka Tano. And it was a recent hologram, given how Jyn looked. Then Saw spoke.  
  
 _"Hey, Galen. I don't know who's gonna show you this, but Ahsoka here says it's an Outlander agent that somehow infiltrated whatever the Imps are forcing you to work at. Try and work together, OK?"_  
  
Slowly, Erso turned to look at the Grand Moff, who was looking at him with clasped hands and a smug smile.  
  
"But-HOW?!"  
  
"His Imperial Travesty is far too smug than it's safe." Tarkin replied. "Now, the reason I've called you here. As a fellow father, I know you'll try and do anything to make your daughter's life better, to sabotage the Empire. I have plans for the Death Star, but in case they go astray... What kind of weakness did you put in?"  
  
"Er... Thermal exhaust port 5, one of the secondary exhaust ports near the north one. I, well, nagged Krennic into using the initial design from one of the collaborators rather than the one derived from the main ports for the sake of efficiency, so it doesn't twist around but leads directly to the main reactor."  
  
"And it can't be particle shielded, so someone could get a torpedo inside. But what makes you think he'd ignore it? Krennic isn't a fool, and probably knows the entire design by memory."  
  
"It's just 2-meters wide, and at the end of a well-defenced trench."  
  
Left unsaid was that the exhaust port, being an exhaust port, would be actively venting hot materials, making it even harder to actually get a projectile inside. Few people in the entire galaxy could pull it off, and most of them were Jedi... At least one of which was in the Rebellion, and a skilled pilot. And by the look on his face, Tarkin likely knew all of that.  
  
"I see." Tarkin said. "Some people don't get a father's feelings. They find it funny. They look at the affection of a father for their child and laugh. Big, ugly, beasts. _Fathers_ , I mean. Though you're quite generous, in my opinion-it's just less than two million people, quite the small revenge when you can't get directly your enemy."  
  
"Krennic was the main target. Krennic and, well, you." Erso admitted.  
  
"Ah, I see. Hopefully, we'll be able to turn the Death Star against the Emperor-he's the one who twisted and enabled Krennic, Vader and many others."  
  
Erso didn't answer immediately. Then, he laughed. He now knew that Jyn would be protected, and Lyra avenged by the hand of another slighted father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by one of EC Henry's videos. The man counted at least _19_ exhaust port, one gigantic and 18 of the secondary smaller 2-meters wide variety... And only one of the latter leading directly to the reactor. I already knew the exhaust port was an understandable weakness, but now... Now I know Galen Erso is a genius.


	22. Year 9 of the Empire: Tarkin deals with children

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I'm lifting some dialogues directly from the novel _Lost Stars_ -that has the strange honor of showing the one moment in current Canon where Tarkin is, without a doubt, not just a good guy but _the hero of the day_ (that, and that he's good with children). And this is this universe' version of that day.

Jelucan had been an interesting addition to the Empire. While a member of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, their main contribution being paying and crewing the _Bulwark mark II_ destroyer _Valentia_ that made galactic news when the _Imperator_ 's turbolasers quickly penetrated both the shields and the infamously thick armor live on the Holonet plus its complement of R-41s (caught with their pants down by the first ISD's complement of brand-new V-Wings at their operational debut), they had never been a member of the Republic, hence the Empire taking so long to park a Star Destroyer in orbit and "ask" them to join. Also, for about a century and half they had been divided in two factions depending on when they arrived on the planet, the First Wavers descending from exiles who had maintained allegiance to their original homeworld's deposed king and living humble lives, and the Second Wavers, humans and aliens who arrived to establish mining operations and used the profits to elevate themselves as a ruling class. Both factions had welcomed the Empire, the Second Wavers because they expected access to new markets, and the First Wavers because they correctly expected the new overlords would make the factions meaningless and equalize everyone's chances for success and riches.  
  
Normally Wilhuff Tarkin, the Grand Moff of the Outer Rim, wouldn't have presided personally over the annexation of a new world, except it was in a rather advantageous position near Jaemus and Sienar Fleet Systems's newest subsidiary Galentro Heavy Works, and it would better ram in the locals' heads that they should play ball, both as an Imperial officer and as a Rebel who knew Raith Sienar's true allegiance. Thus he took the _Executrix_ and a few other Star Destroyers to show the flag and made his speech in front of the locals, and was going back to his shuttle in the new Imperial base to refresh himself for the party with the authorities when the Stormtroopers approached him.  
  
 ** _"Sir, as by your instructions we let some kids sneak in to look at the shuttles. A First Waver girl, a Second Waver boy, and a small group of Second Waver boys, all near your ship."_** the sergeant informed him.  
  
"Thanks for the information." Tarkin replied. It wasn't exactly standard procedure, but kids would be kids, and as long as they behaved he saw no purpose in tormenting them. "I suppose I can wait for a few minutes."  
  
 ** _"As you say, sir."_** the Stormtrooper confirmed. Then he looked distracted for a moment, and said: **_"Sir, the Second Waver group has spotted the girl and are approaching with hostile intentions."_**  
  
Tarkin sighed for a moment before taking his honor guard to put some fear of the Force in some bullies. But when he arrived he saw that both the girl and the Second Waver solo kid were fighting against the group, and fighting quite hard at that-he could spot two broken noses, and a third kid looked like he had broken ribs. Still, they would soon lose against superior numbers, two against six, and older to boot. Noting that lieutenant Piett (who had been detached with the Navy Trooper guards and was clearly not amused at the kids giving him more unnecessary work), the _Executrix_ ' captain, and some standard Stormtroopers had arrived too, Tarkin announced his presence: "What is going on here?"  
  
Hearing his voice the kids stopped fighting, the two young ones showing surprise and the older ones almost pissing in their pants. A glare sent them running-right where Piett's men were waiting for them. Satisfied that the bullies would meet their justice in the form of some humorless guards and whatever the lieutenant had thought for them he approached the other two, reiterating his demand for explanations.  
  
"It's my fault." the girl said as she stepped forward. "The other boys were going to beat me up, and he tried to stop them."  
  
Tarkin allowed himself to show some amusement, and turned to the boy: "Very silly of you. To fling yourself into a fight you would have lost? Never go against superior forces, lad. It never ends well."  
  
"It did today, because of you." the boy had the gall to reply, making Tarkin chuckle.  
  
"You realized an even stronger force would be along shortly, then? Excellent strategic thinking. Well done, my boy."  
  
"I wasn't supposed to be in the hangar." the girl interjected, not having realized they were now off the hook. "I broke a rule. But I didn't mean to do anything dishonorable. I only wanted to see the ships."  
  
"Of course you did." the Grand Moff said, conciliatory, as he subtly gestured to Piett to not arrest her. "That tells me you're curious about the galaxy beyond Jelucan. And you two stayed when the other children ran. That tells me you're brave. Now I want to see if you're intelligent. What kind of ship do we have here?"  
  
"A _Lambda_ -class shuttle!" the two children chorused, before looking at each other and slowly breaking into smiles.  
  
"Very good." he said, holding a hand toward his shuttle and preparing to teach Piett a lesson on how to deal with children. "Would you like to look inside?"  
  
And so he gave a tour of his shuttle to the two children-Thane Kyrell the boy (whose last name was vaguely familiar) and Ciena Ree the girl, also enticing them into joining the Imperial Navy and becoming friends. Still, time was running short and he had to ask them to leave.  
  
"One last question, Ciena." he said before letting them go. "If I recall correctly, the Valley Kindred" it was better using their preferred name rather than risk insulting the girl "hold loyalty in very high regard. But what if the loyalty is given to a liar who isn't as they say they are?"  
  
"It would be null, then." she replied.  
  
Tarkin didn't show it but appreciated the answer-if he was right about them then these two children would join the Navy, and he'd much prefer not killing such promising young people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the last encounter between Tarkin and these two kids. It wasn't in Lost Stars, and it won't be here-thought they'll already have graduated from the Royal Imperial Academy on _Coruscant_ by the time they meet again.


	23. Year 1 of the Empire: Wilhuff Tarkin's friend, Armand Isard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because we can't ignore Tarkin's _other_ best friend.

"Hum... Not bad." Armand Isard said to his new subordinate after examining his old group's organization. "I'll be honest with you, I was expecting a mess."  
  
"You serious?!" Ishin-Il-Raz replied. "I'm not some demagogue! That's the difference between the Commission for the Protection of the Republic and other groups: I know how to organize things, and when I'm working with more skilled people. Why otherwise it would be _us_ and not someone else to be merged with the Imperial Security Bureau to form your new Commission for the Preservation of the New Order?"  
  
"That was more about some of your more... mercurial subordinates. You, on the other hand, know your job." Isard wasn't going to admit it, but he had almost refused and remained with Imperial Intelligence when the Emperor asked him to take command of the new COMPNOR. Then again, the old COMPOR tended to appeal to fanatics, and he feared Il-Raz wouldn't be up to keep them in line. "Now, about the security..."  
  
"We were a non-government organization, no matter how many of our men were in the Navy. All we have in this building is the best we were allowed. Though I've already contacted the Imperial Engineering Corps fo-"  
  
That was when the window of the COMPOR director's office shattered and Isard's head exploded.  
  


* * *

  
  
"A slugthrower at one kilometer?!" Ishin-Il-Raz shouted as he heard what inspector Divo's men had just said. "What kind of slugthrower can be _that_ powerful?!"  
  
"An Urthhan slugthrower." Divo replied. "This one uses ammunition originally created for anti-aircraft machine slugthrowers, and has a diameter of about thirteen millimeters, and long _sixty_. They're going to steal Czerka's market, one of these days."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Sorry, what?" Tarkin asked to the late Isard's lawyer.  
  
"Director Isard trusts you to take care of his daughter. That's written clearly in his will." the lawyer repeated. "Apparently, he fears some of his relatives could twist her, while you, as his best friend, are more trusted. The only provision is that you don't leave her alone with Raith Sienar."  
  
"A wise provision. And I suppose it's only right."  
  
The rest of the people attending the reading of Isard's will thought it was a friend talking. Tarkin, on the other hand, thought it was right because it had been by his order that Armand Isard had died-if someone could expose him as an opposer of the Emperor it was him, and he owed him that for knowing Palpatine's plan the whole time. On the other hand, he'd have to make sure to keep little Ysanne away from _his_ relatives, lest they turned her into a sociopath...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you have it: the fate of Armand and Ysanne Isard. At least in part. And given how people raised by Tarkin grow up, she won't become a psychotic Imperial.


	24. Year 16 of the Empire: The Rain Bringers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back on Tatooine... With Luke's friends. Again, the poster mentioned here can be seen on Wookieepedia.

Rivoche had returned to school (the civilian wing of the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant) for a week now, and had thought about helping on Tatooine the whole time now. Yet she just couldn't find another way aside taking that risk. Sure, her father had left her considerable shares in Eriadu Mining and Shipping and they would be quite interested in tapping the planet's now available minerary wealth, and as they'd access the local water sources to make things cheaper they'd release vapor in the atmosphere, but she didn't know how long it would take to have any effect... And she didn't have any experience in such "mercy missions", nor resources. While _she_ had both. Hopefully, she wouldn't try and get her hands on Luke. Then again, if she had guessed correctly there was an easy way to keep her in check...  
  
Thus, with a heavy heart, she looked for her, and found her admiring the newest propaganda poster that some Rebels had snuck in the school. This time it wasn't an altered Imperial poster, just the old "Jedi Unite for Peace" Clone Wars-era unreleased poster (a COMPOR creation). Looking at her fellow student, Rivoche took a deep breath and then spoke.  
  
"Organa, do you have a moment?"

* * *

  
  


Biggs _really_ hoped this wouldn't end in a disaster. A few weeks earlier, while he and Tank were still in Bestine at Tatooine's main junior academy for the term, Luke had befriended the niece of the Grand Moff, of all people (apparently Luke's mystery father had fought with the Outland Regions Security Force), and they had bonded when her uncle had taken them massacre a horde of Sand People. Now she was back... And as Camie was still pining after Luke (who feigned not having noticed, as he really didn't like her using Fixer's nickname for him, "Wormie"), he almost expected some kind of confrontation. Then Luke said where she'd meet them.  
  
"The ancient hunting lodge?!" Windy exclaimed. "Chester and his gang hang around there now!"  
  
Biggs hadn't known that. Nobody had, and they wouldn't leave anyone alone with the bounty hunter wannabes. Well, aside for a Stormtrooper, but that was because they expected the Stormtrooper to beat them up. As they arrived they head a blaster shot and a feminine voice shouting "NOW!", surprising everyone but Luke.  
  
"Quick! We must save those idiots from Rivoche!" Luke said before running in, just as a second feminine voice berated the former and identified her as "Tarkin" and they heard a beeping that sounded quite close to a laugh.  
  
As they arrived they found two rather attractive women around their age in practical and _new_ clothes holding the four delinquents at blasterpoint (and it was some interesting blasters-DDC Defenders, mostly target pistols but rather accurate and still lethal in the hands of a good shooter. Aristocrats use them as "socially acceptable" self defense weapons for a reason, after all). Said delinquents, partially covered in some oil, had tossed away their slugthrowers, one of which had been shot by a blaster judging by how melted it was, and dropped pants and underwear while an astromech continued beeping his laughter while holding out a blowtorch close to a trail of oil from him to Chester and his gang and a golden protocol droid continued preparing the lodge's table while acting as if nothing was amiss.  
  
"Organa, both my uncle and master Skirata say that when attacked by potential rapists and other particularly unsavory criminals you should make sure they learn their lesson." the woman with the first voice, clearly the infamous Rivoche Tarkin, said calmly.  
  
"Look at them, they couldn't rape a puppy even if they wanted!" the other woman, "Organa", replied.  
  
Tarkin looked back at the delinquents, specifically at their crotches, and showed _pity_ on her face.  
  
"Well, they still fall under "particularly unsavory criminals"-I mean, they tried to rob two harmless-looking young women, and the alternative is leaving them to the authorities. And you know how my uncle will take it when he finds out."  
  
"You better listen her, she's the niece of the Grand Moff." Luke intervened, completely unsurprised at the scene and trying not to laugh.  
  
"That's one dangerous girlfriend you have, Skywalker." Tank said as Chester and his men undressed and then ran naked in the streets.  
  
"She's not my girlfriend!" Luke protested instinctively as he and Tarkin blushed.  
  
"Not the impression I got from Tarkin." Organa said with a smirk. "So, who wants refreshments?"  
  
They sat at a table, and Rivoche explained the _other_ thing she had pulled after taking the bounty for killing the head Sand People, and how she wanted to follow it up by actively bringing out the water from underground... And her acquaintance apparently had made a point of helping people whenever she could and had experience in what she called "mercy missions" in spite of being from the Core, so she had brought her there. And indeed she had a good plan: it wouldn't be charity, she planned to establish hydroponic farms and other companies that would need and thus extract the water and release part of it in the atmosphere and hire the locals for it, giving them the chance to do the job themselves.  
  
"I can easily deal with the bureaucratic part, the governor is supposed to be competent, and my uncle says the R2 unit can talk Jabba into not interfering. How, I don't dare to ask." Rivoche said.  
  
That was when the astromech beeped something, that the protocol droid quickly translated: "R2 says he helped saving Jabba's son during the Clone Wars, and can leverage it into becoming an investor. Though I wonder why I don't remember anything of that, considering we've always been paired together." The astromech then beeped again. "I most certainly didn't get my memory erased for announcing I'd blab an important secret! And what do you mean by calling me "streaker of Mos Espa"?"  
  
"I don't think we need to know more." Organa said, leaving him wondering just what had happened for a droid to be called a streaker. "Any idea how I can start?"  
  
"The Flynn-Fletcher siblings could likely design the equipment." Deak said.  
  
"The ones with a Stormtrooper sister?!" Rivoche asked, looking a bit strange about it. "Nevermind that." then she turned to Camie with a predatory smile and asked: "Do you like the chocolate drink I've brought you?"  
  
"Surprisingly, ye-" Camie started to reply before realizing what they had been drinking. "CHOCOLATE?!"  
  
"My family is one of the exporters from Urthha, I though you guys may like an exotic drink."  
  
She had called it exotic. _Chocolate_. It was one of the most expensive foods in the galaxy, given the plant it derived from could grow only on eight known planets (not for lack of attempts, there's just something in the plant that keeps it from growing on most worlds). And she had just given to them enough it would take six months of Fixer's pay to buy it... Apparently with the sole goal of intimidating Camie away from Luke. Successfully.

* * *

  
  
"Sorry, why is he still around?" Rivoche asked with a sweet voice after Fixer mentioned the time Chester tried to frame Luke for murder.  
  
"We don't have a guard at Anchorhead, and the Stormtroopers from Mos Eisley said they didn't need to deal with an idiot like him..." Fixer replied from the driving seat of his speeder van. "There's no need to deal with him, not after today's less-is that a sail barge?"  
  
Indeed, a sail barge was right out of the Flynn-Fletcher farm, and as they arrived there they found Jabba the Hutt in person-apparently waiting for them.  
  
"Here come the Rain Bringers." Jabba announced in Basic, surprising everyone-he was known to be quite fluent, but he'd _never_ do that. "Rivoche Tarkin and Luke Skywalker who made the plan possible, and Leia Organa of Alderaan who wants to establish companies that will diffuse water in the atmosphere, I believe?"  
  
"Well, yes-"  
  
"Good! Good. This ball of sand may be my world, but if I can make it something better then I don't see any reason to prevent it. I shall invest in your enterprises, Organa. Now, shall we speak to the best engineers of Tatooine?"  
  
"So that's why Uncle said to respect Jabba like you do with an orbiting warship..." Rivoche said.

* * *

  
  
"So... No Academy? Your family could easily afford it with the bounty-that and the one on the Womp Rats." Rivoche said to Luke as he was flying her on his T-16.  
  
"Right now, I think it's better if I stay here." Luke admitted. "I'm still continuing my homeschooling, and I'll apply to the Academy later, maybe for the Arkanis Academy."  
  
"Nu-huh. If you apply, you name the Eriadu Academy as your preference-Arkanis wouldn't be for you." She wasn't going to admit to Luke she was now affiliated with the Rebellion just yet, but considering what she had been told by her uncle about Arkanis Academy she knew it was the last place to be for the son of a Jedi. "How did Jabba know we'd be there?"  
  
"Did Organa have a personal ship?"  
  
"The _Tantive IV_ , she always uses that-oh. I see. His informants told him about our arrival, and that was enough for him. I wonder what he's not telling us... What's your relationship with Marstrap, exactly?"  
  
"Just friends. At most, I mean, sometimes she and Fixer call me Wormie, and... Tell me you aren't going to hurt her, please.  
  
"I'll just make her family an offer they can't refuse. The one who should be worried is that Rodian, Chester. Organa said her two droids would deal with him, and between Jabba confirming the R2 unit's claim, him having those embarrassing holos about your father, and that I saw admiral Screed react in horror at them, I fear for his life."  
  


* * *

  
  
 ** _"Found out something interesting on Organa."_** Boba Fett said to his current (and most frequent) client, Jabba the Hutt. Who, being Jabba, wanted to know as much as he could about his newest trading partner, and sent him to investigate. **_"You know she's been adopted, that's public domain. The interesting part is that she's not from Alderaan as everyone assumes, she was born on Polis Massa, the mother dead in childbirth. The identity was erased from the database."_**  
  
 _ **"Does she have a twin?"**_ Jabba asked in Huttese.  
  
 _ **"Yes."**_  
  
 ** _"Good job, as usual. You'll have a ten thousand credits bonus. To the next time."_**  
  
As Jabba interrupted the communication, Boba wondered just what did Jabba know, and why he was paying him not to investigate further. Then again, it didn't really matter-what mattered was that Jabba was paying him an extra on an already rich contract, and that while he could likely get away with running afoul of that Hutt it would hurt his reputation and, on the long term, his job perspectives. Unless of course Jabba didn't pay him... But he hadn't got on top of the Hutt Cartel and survived betraying an apparent Sith by being stupid.  
  


* * *

  
  
"I'll make Skywalker pay!" Chester said to his gang, now in his home. "He'll pay for what his girlfriend did to us!"  
  
"Come on, you've heard who she is!" one of his friend replied, trying to make him reason.  
  
"Who they SAY she is! How would he even manage to-"  
  
That was when the intercom buzzed, announcing the arrival of Mos Eisley's Stormtrooper squad.  
  
"Whoa! Wait, I didn't do anything!" he protested.  
  
 ** _"That's for us to decide."_** the sergeant replied as his men kept them at blasterpoint and one went to a cabinet.  
  
 ** _"The tip was correct."_** the Stormtrooper at the cabinet said as he showed what he had found there-a BlasTech DL-44. Already barely legal in the days before the Clone Wars, and so throughly restricted by Senate's decree right after the war that purchase and possession were effectively illegal.  
  


* * *

  
  
As the Stormtroopers carried Chester and his gang away, C-3PO and R2-D2 looked with satisfaction.  
  
 _ **"See? It always works."**_ 3PO told his counterpart. **_"Do we still have broken DL-44s?"_**  
  
His counterpart beeped that was the last one.  
  
 ** _"I suppose we'll need to get creative the next time."_**  
  


* * *

  
  
"Can't believe it..." Camie said as she saw her family's newest plants. "We're growing cocoa! Tatooine can grow cocoa!" Now she too could give Luke chocolate, the Eriaduan skank wouldn't keep him from her. "Mom, how did you get the seeds?"  
  
"It was Luke's friend from Eriadu, she had some and the manual on how to grow them and thought it was worth a try." her mother replied. "We'll need to pay her a hundred credits now that it works, but we're going to be rich!"  
  
Camie should be happy now. And she was, it was rare for Tatooinians to actually become rich with legal pursuits, aside the surprisingly hard moisture farms. But how could she go against the woman who had just made her family rich? She'd feel just too bad...  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's meet Luke's friends from Tatooine, introduced in a deleted scene of ANH and then in other medias. In order of mention, they are: Janek "Tank" Sunber is the unofficial leader of the group, or was before he got accepted in the Carida Academy (initially as a Stormtrooper, but was quickly transferred to the Army officer program due his leadership skills), proving himself extremely talented after graduation (and actually was promoted _three ranks **in his first battle**_ , though the commanding officers died before he could write it down and the one who should have verified it refused out of envy); Camie Marstrap, daughter of farmers (on _Tatooine_. OK, they use hydroponics, but still grow plants for food on Tatooine) who buy their water from the Lars, meaning she's been Luke's friend since they were kids, and while she'd eventually marry their mutual friend Fixer she seemed to have feelings for Luke, and according to a Force vision in the TLJ novelization she would have married him had he not left Tatooine; Laze "Fixer" Lonenozer is somewhat of a jerk (he's the one who nicknamed Luke "Wormie"), though that could well be due his gigantic inferiority complex toward the younger boy and his piloting skills, and is otherwise a decent guy, and the only one to actually hold a job; Windom "Windy" Starkiller is something of a follower, and once he and Luke got in trouble with a Krayt Dragon (thankfully Obi-Wan was around); Deak, finally, is a follower of a follower, in Biggs' words-that is, he follows Windy around.


	25. Year 16 of the Empire: The truth about Rivoche

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tarkin discovers something about his niece. Aside for Trammiss III, the SW worlds where the cocoa plant grows are not mentioned in Legends, and neither is the reason why it doesn't grow anywhere else. Also, chocolate and cocoa aren't evil-they're _passionate_.

Tarkin didn't have many issues about his niece spending most of her school break on Tatooine trying to jumpstart the planet's healing-and most certainly not to try and get closer to the boy she planned to marry as soon as they were both of age and she could get their family to not annoy her over it. All he had asked was that she accepted the presence of a bodyguard, one she wouldn't notice unless needed, and she and her traveling partner Organa hadn't needed him to deal with the one group of idiots who had tried to harass them. On the other hand, what she had done to get rid of a romantic rival without killing her had left him puzzled.

"Rivoche, how did you know that the cocoa plant can grow on Tatooine?" he asked her after calling her in the lounge.

"An intuition." she replied. "I have them at times, and they're usually correct. Especially when some of the other students try and challenge me at Sabacc, I almost never lose and never miss a cheater. Why do you ask?"

"I did not need to know about that hobby of yours, and most certainly our relatives need it even less. As for why I asked... Tell me, on which worlds do the cocoa plant grow, aside for Urthha and Tatooine?"

"Trammis III, Kashyyyk, Massassi, Dromund Kaas, Tython, Lehon, and Lettow, why?"

"And what are the events these places best known for? Aside for slavery, I mean."

"Trammis III is known for the Trammis Atrocity that announced the existence of Darth Ruin to the galaxy, Kashyyyk was the greatest victory of the Brotherhood of Darkness before the Ruusan Campaign, Massassi and Dromund Kaas are historical Sith fortresses, Tython is one of the possible homeworlds of the Jedi and is said to have an evil moon, Lehon is the homeworld of the Rakata, and Lettow is where the Dark Jedi Xendor established his fortress to prepare his attack on the Republic."

"Not exactly correct on why Xendor established his academy, but you're correct on the rest. And I believe you shouldn't learn what "magic" rituals the cocoa civilizations of Urthha engaged into, not until you reach majority. While current generations have forgot it, the reason for why the cocoa plant can only grow on certain worlds is that it's closely linked to unbridled passion and its expression in the Force, the so-called Dark Side in its purest form, uncontaminated by the rage, anger and domination nonsense the Sith are so fond of and the Jedi fear, and thus can only grow on worlds that have not only the right climate and soil but also have links to the Dark Side of the Force."

"Like Tatooine and the Rakatan device... But I just felt it would be doable. But I'm not a Force sensitive!"

"Maybe you are, and your father decided to keep it secret for your good. Or you were never tested to begin with... Something we should do right now."

"How so? You said it can be measured through those Midi-something, but wouldn't the Empire keep all testers under control?"

"They try." Tarkin said with a grin as he went to the portrait of Supreme Chancellor Pultimo, moved it, and revealed a one-meter-tall Jedi whose ears reminded Rivoche of communication dishes. "The Master Jedi is something of a hoarder, why he tended to be passed over for the High Council, so I suppose we can count on at least one tester?"

"Five, actually." the Jedi confirmed. "Also, I already tested her a few days after her birth, the count is 8,436, and I'd prefer not to talk about that day."

Remembering Rivoche' birth date, the two Tarkins decided it was better not to ask. And before the Grand Moff could say anything, his niece made her request: "Say, can I learn the empathic abilities at least? I think I could use them to help the Rebellion... And myself a little bit."

As Rivoche blushed while saying the last part, the two elders knew exactly what she planned to do with those abilities.

"Teenagers..." Wilhuff Tarkin said as his hand covered his face and the Jedi Master started laughing.


	26. Year 0 of the Empire: Rivoche gets tested

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you were wondering what did happen when Rivoche was tested... Here it is.

In theory, brigadier general Gideon Tarkin should have been at headquarters planning for the likely second wave needed for the attack on Utapau and organizing the impending attack on Mustafar-a ship apparently carrying the Separatist Council had just reached the planet, and given the lack of defenses a swift attack had a good chance of capturing them and possibly find the codes to shut down the droids, reducing the enemy's military strength to the point of making victory a matter of weeks rather than years-assuming the Separatists didn't just surrender in shock. In practice he had never used a single day of leave and news of his wife's difficult pregnancy were making him rather nervous, and his older brother and direct superior had given him a written order to go and be there for his daughter's birth. So there he was, back to Eriadu City, looking at the two most important ladies of his life-and abusing his rank to directly have a passing Jedi Master test young Rivoche for Force sensitivity, something Wilhuff would likely justify as "doing the job faster and then come back to defend his family with one worry less". Yet...  
  
"What happened to your ears, Master Jedi?" his wife asked the diminutive (somewhat taller than Yoda, even excluding the ears) Jedi.  
  
"They're actually natural-we Hyperionians tend to have large ears." the Jedi replied as he produced the blood extractor for midichlorian test. "Now, please let's do this quickly, I've just got a sudden headache and need to see a medic.  
  
"No problem."  
  
"Now, let's see... 8,346 midichlorian per cell."  
  
"Is it much?" Tarkin's wife asked.  
  
"Somewhat larger than my own count."  
  
That gave the Tarkins a choice. In theory, the Jedi Order was authorized by law to take in any Force sensitive child. In practice, much to their credit, they had never invoked the law, not even during the Baby Ludi mess (though it had been a close thing, he had heard from Master Piell), they simply asked the parents for consent and, if given, put the child on a list so they'd be able to take him in once they could be weaned, with the parents having the right to change their mind at any point until the last moment, and they made sure nobody knew who was a Force sensitive unless they consented, with not even the High Council having access to said information unless needed at that precise moment. So they could choose, they could sign the form that would allow the Jedi to come and take their daughter at a later date, or could just thank him for his services. Then again, considering the rest of the Tarkin family and that they weren't anywhere as terrifying as Wilhuff and that Sith leviathan disguised as a woman he had married, they had already made the choice.  
  
"Master Jedi, we'd like to-" Gideon started before the portable holoprojector he needed to carry at all times chirped with a ringtone that demanded to be listened _now_ , as it carried orders directly from the Chancellor. And as both the Jedi and his wife knew better than blab anything, he answered the call immediately, and noting the Chancellor's face was now heavily scarred, almost as if he had a scrotum for a face. And then the words came.  
  
 ** _"Execute Order 66."_**  
  
"What the Bogan has Mace Windu done this time?!" he shouted-before remembering there was a Jedi Master in the room, alongside his wife and daughter.  
  
Thankfully, the Jedi had reacted not by attacking him but by jumping out of the window.  
  
"Wait, what's happening?!" his wife asked.  
  
"I don't know. But the Jedi have just been declared traitors." Gideon said. "I think it's better write down a thousand or something like that on Rivoche' certificate, before she gets in some trouble with Force sensitives."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Legends, the Jedi _could_ just take a child from their parents, consent be damned... But they never did. Closest they ever got was taking in Aris-Del Wari, born Ludi Billane, because they thought all her family had died, and refusing to give her back when the mother turned out alive because they had already opened her mind to the Force, thus giving the child _emotion-powered telekinetic powers_ (it would have been a funny way to die).


	27. Year 18 of the Empire: Tarkin and Thrawn discuss about the Death Star

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just something of a random chapter, using things that actually exist in Legends.

Tarkin knew just how dangerous Thrawn was-even without his performance in the Imperial Navy being so good he was a Grand Admiral, he had seen recordings of both his brief involvement in the Clone Wars and footage of what he did to a Trade Federation squadron that had breached Chiss space. That was why he wanted to know what he could do with him, and if he needed to kill him or what, and had engaged him in a conversation about the Death Star. Most of what he had said was as expected-but then the alien made a rather unexpected comment.  
  
"Seriously, creating a planet killer isn't _that_ urgent." he said.  
  
"What did you just say?" Tarkin asked.  
  
"That a planet killer isn't that urgent."  
  
"What makes you believe a planet killer could ever be necessary?!"  
  


* * *

  
  
"The planet is opening its maws!" the sensor technician of the _Demolisher_ said.  
  
"Do that. Now." admiral Screed ordered.  
  
As once, his missile-armed ships fired their fire retardant warheads right in the maws of planet Ronyards, followed by the tugs that dropped ice asteroids and even a comet in it. And as expected, the Abominor that had escaped detection until it grew to planetary size slowed down and then stopped, the fire of its furnace snuffed out by the Imperial attack-just as per standard procedure.  
  
"Send in the mining ships to dismantle the thing, and prepare the second salvo, in case one of the droids someone reactivates the furnace." Screed orderd without missing a beat. "Also, send this message to headquarters: contacted Living God, killed same."  
  


* * *

  
  
"The Navy is ready for an immense amount of circumstances, there is next nothing that could take us by surprise to the point of needing that kind of firepower." Tarkin continued.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Baron! Giant Amorphous Bantha Breakfast Biscuits have appeared on Gastrula!"  
  
"Not again..." baron Orman Tagge said. "Was Gastrula in the list of banned planets?"  
  
"Yes, my lord."  
  
"Well, at least we won't get blamed this time. Now send in the ships with the blue sauce, and put a bounty on the idiot that brought Bantha Breakfast Biscuits there! And I want them alive!"  
  


* * *

  
  
"Last time such a situation presented itself when Bantha Breakfast Biscuits at Bestine's Biscuit Baron became giant monsters and started devouring anything in sight forty years ago, and Tagge Company found an alternative way to clean their own mess before a Base Delta Zero fleet could be assembled." Tarkin continued. Then, seeing Thrawn's face, he added: "It's a long story, you can learn it in full in all public libraries. But now, tell me this: what in this galaxy could warrant the use of enough firepower to shatter a planet through its shield?"  
  
"It's called the Mnggal-Mnggal." Thrawn replied. "The abomination infects people, takes them as hosts while consuming them in mind and body from the inside, and if not eradicated immediately can consume entire planets. The one law in the Unknown Regions that everyone follows is that any sighting of the Mnggal-Mnggal must cause an immediate cessation of hostilities until its infestation has been eradicated, even with the equivalent of a Base Delta Zero if necessary-and a planet killer would be useful to deal with the planets the abomination has surrounded with automated ships to defend itself, such as Mugg Fallow."  
  
"I suppose the Death Star has a practical use, I guess." Tarkin admitted. He had not expected to actually find a _second_ target worth its full power, let alone multiple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this weird galaxy has a planet that is actually a genocidal extragalactic robot (whose species is directly responsible for the Yuuzhan Vong's madness) and at least two cases of biscuits mutating into kaijuus. Gotta love this franchise...


	28. Year 18 of the Empire: Tarkin discovers Project Starscream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by a comment TotallyDapper (475213) that reminded me of one of the weirdest parts of the Legends universe: the planet D'vouran.

"I protest!" doctor Borborygmus Gog, a Shi'ido shapeshifter, shouted as soon as he entered the Grand Moff's office for his appointment.  
  
"Protest for what, exactly?" Tarkin calmly replied.  
  
"Your project, Project Stardust, got my Project Starscream interrupted for lack of funds!"  
  
"I am only the supervisor of Project Stardust. Still, if you were to tell me about it, I may try and convince the Emperor to restore funds.  
  
Gog explained the situation, of what his Project, aimed to create super soldiers for the Empire, had done and was doing.  
  
"I see. Worry not, I'll make sure your Project receives everything it needs."

* * *

  
The Star Destroyers _Executrix_ , _Imperator_ (named after the lost prototype) and _Oriflamme_ had came out of hyperspace around D'vouran, joining the Star Dreadnought _Wrath_ and the Interdictor cruiser _Veltraa_.  
  
"See, doctor, I always maintain my promises." Tarkin said to the doctor, who was forced to wear a device locking him in one form while standing at his side on the bridge. "And what a people-eating planet needs is a Base Delta Zero. Didn't think I'd find _another_ world needing such treatment after Thrawn told me about Mugg Fallow the other day... Crew, you may fire when ready."  
  
Base Delta Zero was an ancient code, dating back to the Great Hyperspace War. It was defined as an orbital bombardment with the goal of "systematic complete destruction of all 'assets' of production, including factories, arable land, mines, fisheries, and all sentient beings and droids"-that is, a bombardment that reduced the crust of a planet to molten slag, reducing all water in its component atoms disperded in the slag and blasting the atmosphere into space. The Anaxes War College defined a Star Destroyer as "any ship smaller than 2,000 meters capable of making a planet uninhabitable in less than a day with only the standard weapons", so it wasn't surprising that most Star Destroyers could execute it-through standard procedure called for three of the _Imperial_ -class in either variant, to both reduce the time needed to just a few hours and to enact a blockade.  
  
Ever since the Base Delta Zero code had been created, bombardment answering to this code had only been enacted twice: by general Grievous against Humbarine (unanimously considered his worst atrocity) and against Caamas by "mysterious parties" that had been recently revealed as Imperial officers. And now, Tarkin gave the order once again-though in a more appropriate situation than it had ever happened.

* * *

  
Borborygmus Gog found himself back on Kiva, near his main lab-or rather its former location, as Tarkin had it burned down, hit by light proton bombs from TIE bombers, struck with a capital ship-scale consussion missile, hit by a localized Base Delta Zero-level turbolaser bombardment, and then plowed and salted just to rub it in. It had been the final act of the Grand Moff consistently destroying all traces of his project. The reanimators on Necropolis-wiped out to the last, with Boba Fett procuring Cornelius Evazan, who had collaborated with him on that part, so he could be killed, revived, and killed and revived again until he had gone through all his twelve death sentences. The "blob" virus on Gobindi had been administered to any scientist who had collaborated and, as it thrived on heat, annihilated with an industrial-scale freezing device. The "Nightmare Machine" at the Hologram Fun World on Koaan, or rather the telepath posing as it, had been reduced to a gibbering wreck after scanning the Grand Moff's mind and what he'd like to do to him. The Essence Stealer had thankfully not been yet completed when Tarkin got to it, as Gog didn't want to know what would have happened.  
  
And now he was back on Kiva, at the mercy of the wraiths of the race he had killed as part of his experiments, who had been informed in details of his role. And they were coming for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Project Starscream originates from the novel series _Galaxy of Fear_ , whose name should tell you everything you need. As for Evazan... Now you know why he got at least one of his twelve death sentences.


	29. Year 9 of the Empire: Tarkin's great scientist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Legends had various people blamed for the Death Star. But considering the size of the project... Why couldn't they all be responsible alongside Krennic and Erso?

It was rare for Orson Krennic, Galen Erso, Bevel Lemelisk and Umak Leth, the four head designers of "Project Stardust", to be together in the same place. Even rarer for them to be at Tarkin's new secret base, hidden right in the middle of the Maw Cluster. It was enough for Krennic to label Tarkin as a mad genius.  
  
"Gentlemen, welcome to the Maw Installation." the Grand Moff welcomed them, with a group of lithe blue-skinned near-humans standing behind him. "Here new advanced technologies will be developed to both help your tasks and see to the needs of the Empire. And these ten Omwati, led by Qwi Xux, have been trained and tasked to do just that."  
  
"No offense, but they're little more than children." Lemelisk pointed out.  
  
"Doctor Xux, if you please..."  
  
One of the Omwati, a female, gave a datapad to Lemelisk, who took a bored look-then almost jumped and called Erso to check it himself.  
  
"This-this is going to speed up our work by years!" Erso exclaimed in surprise and admiration. "How were they trained?!"  
  
"Standard procedure: they've been kidnapped from their homes and given the best and most challenging education and training the Empire could provide, and if one of them made a single error their village would be destroyed from orbit before their eyes before they themselves were killed. Doctor Xux was the only one to never err once." Tarkin replied. Then, after leaving a few moments for the others to realize he'd been tooling with them, he explained: "I have known the potential of Omwati minds for years-not long enough to recruit them for the Clone Wars, but long enough to select the smartest ten children on the planet, get their families' consent, and give them the best and most challenging education the Empire could provide, and as I am not an Inquisitor I motivated them with rewards for their families and home villages for their successes rather than the threat of exaggerated violence. Other questions?"  
  
"Why did you put a research center _here_?!" Krennic demanded to know.  
  
"As soon as the station is complete this will be the main and most advanced research lab in the whole galaxy, and the safety of the scientists shall be paramaunt-thus I put it where nobody would even suspect." Tarkin said, before turning to the window. "And even if they did, it's impossible to come here without knowing the route, not even by acciden-"  
  
 _Something_ streaked in front of the Installation, leaving Tarkin speechless. Before he could ask what it had been, however, he received a call from the Star Destroyer _Hydra_ , sent to deal with the mess on nearby Kessel, that explained what had just happened.  
  
"Gentlemen, I stand corrected-without knowing the route it's next to impossible to come here, with the only known exception being having a YT-1300 and apparently _dropping raw coaxium in the fuel tank to escape the black hole with the summa-verminoth in_ , that they had got too close to by trying to escape the _Hydra_." Tarkin said, his tone betraying admiration and exhasperation. "I hope those madmen survive, they deserve it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tarkin and his pet genius team... Also witnessing an epic moment in the history of smuggling.


	30. Year 16 of the Empire: The truth about Baarriss Offee, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Returning to Lady Pellaeon and Andrew Joshua Talon's ideas for her-with two debuts that had been long awaited on Spacebattles.

Gilad Pellaeon had never regretted working for Tarkin, not even after being informed about his real role-he had joined the Judicials and remained in the Navy to enforce the law and protect the weak from oppression, and now he could see the truth about the Empire. That had been why he had not hesitated to accept his invitation to dinner, ostensibly because the Grand Moff's niece had befriended his eldest son Mynar and he wanted to know him and the family, and had ignored the reputation of the third member of the Grand Moff's household-or how his wife, who had met her early in the Clone Wars, had flinched and started reciting the Jedi Code upon finding out about her presence.

"And then the assassin had the gall to try and seduce _my_ husband, but he resisted her wiles and Dooku's evil plan and kept the sector in the Republic." lady Thalassa Tarkin continued, regaling them with the _fourth_ tale about her husband's triumphs in a row while Pellaeon and Mynar looked at her in growing horror, the two other Tarkins and the Mon Cala majordomo (former military, by how the Tarkins called him "commander", and likely enslaved with the Grand Moff taking him in to keep him from a worse fate) kept noticeably strained smiles, and his wife continued mentally reciting the Code.

"Oh! Look at the time!" Rivoche Tarkin said after noting the large antique clock in the room. "I need to show Mynar a few things. About Tatooine and the new cocoa plantation. And the slugthrowers."

"No problem, dear." the Grand Moff said, allowing his niece to grab Mynar and escape the torture with him.

"Wilhuff, dear, I'll better keep an eye on them. They're still teenagers, after all." lady Tarkin said before following the younger people-with Ahsoka Tano coming out from a secret room and the majordomo pressing a button as soon as she was out.

"Room soundproofed." he announced.

"Your reputation suggests you would have killed her long ago." Pellaeon deadpanned as soon as he knew the nag couldn't hear him anymore.

"If I were to do that imperfectly, _millions_ would follow her." Tarkin admitted. "But worry not, as soon as I find a way I'll kill her-after claiming to her face I was cheating on her with Even Piell."

"Eeeeeew!" the former Jedi said. Pellaeon understood-he had seen a holo of the Lannik Jedi, and the image Tarkin had just planted in their minds wasn't nice. "Still, even if she calmed down, why did you subject us to the broad?!"

"I've been in contact with Master Nu, and she recently remembered some interesting facts about your birth family."

"Master Unduli said I was an orphan born on a starliner, and she couldn't find them outside the Temple."

"What is it about Jedi and points of view? I suppose it's true. After all, your parents lived _in_ the Temple."

"Look, if you don't take this seriously I'm out."

The commander put a holoprojector on the table and started projecting Barriss Offee's personal files in the Jedi Temple Archive-only with a difference from what she had remembered: at the voice "family" there wasn't the familiar "unknown", but the names of Qui-Gon Jinn and Luminara Unduli listed as her parents.

"Apparently, Anakin Skywalker wasn't the only married Jedi." Tarkin said after she expressed her shock. "Your late master and Qui-Gon Jinn had married and had you, and were actually able to hide it for much longer. I believe it played a part both in the High Council offering him a place, an early recognition they were becoming atrophied and hoped his "eccentric" views could shake them out of it, and him refusing the offer. They knew for sure by the time of Jinn's death, however. But that's not the big surprise. Please, read the voice "grandfather"."

She did just that-and recoiled in shock and horror, as the name there was "Dooku of Serenno".

"But-what-WHAT!"

"That was actually public knowledge, I'm told. Or at least it wasn't secret." Tarkin continued. "One of the provisions Countess Anya demanded as she led the Jedi to her son was that he would have at least one child and heir to continue the line, and Qui-Gon Jinn was the firstborn, taken in by the Jedi as a Force sensitive. His second child was not, and thus taken in by House Serenno-though Count Gora was not keen to having the son of a Jedi as a heir."

"Makes sense." Pellaeon admitted. Then he realized what Tarkin was going for: "Wait, you want her to take over the planet?!"

"To command the loyalty of House Serenno's loyalists." his wife corrected him. "They've been scattered ever since the Imperial invasion... But if a heir appeared, they could rally and form a more effective resistance."

"That would be the idea." Tarkin admitted. "Though we would first have to deal with the other heiress of House Serenno, an Imperial loyalist. And make sure you can indeed take the role."

"That's why I'm here." Ahsoka said. "There is... Something you must know first. The reason you weren't tried during the War."

"The reason commander Ackbar has been preparing to drop a universal energy cage on you the whole time. We didn't know what to do with you then, but we know what to do with you now."

"Please... Read here."

Ahsoka was pointing up in the holographic files, at the very beginning. At something that made the Pellaeon family recoil in shock and surprise as the table started trembling

"Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force." lady Pellaeon started reciting again. And again and again, until she calmed down. "I-I beat it. I'm safe. I'm safe... Mynar, Lumen and Sohka helped me fighting it. But... What about _her_?"

"We'll find her." Ahsoka said. "And, well..."

"I'll deal with her myself. I... I owe her that, at least."


	31. Year 16 of the Empire: The truth about Baarriss Offee, part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People have wondered what was up with Barriss' reaction, exactly what was so disturbing... And here you'll find out. I'm drawing a bit from the original Thrawn Trilogy, how Legends treated the Clone Wars before the prequels, some lesser known Legends material, and a deleted scene from RoTS.

The Lady Pellaeon, as she went by these days, hadn't expected it would happen so soon. And yet here she was on Malachor, alongside Ahsoka and the infamous crew of the _Ghost_ , that included Deepa Billaba's final Padawan Caleb Dume (or Kanan Jarrus, these days), and this Force sensitive she hadn't known before, Ezra Bridger. And aside for Ahsoka and Ezra they were as wary of her as they were of the other guest, _Darth Maul_. Who had decided to _actually_ help rather than try and steal the holocron (at least for now) only because he wanted to enjoy the mess from her presence-and he didn't even know what Kanan and Ahsoka knew. Even the Inquisitors blocking their way were wary of her-but she could use it. So she took a comlink from one of the Inquisitors and made her communication.  
  
"Seventh Sister, I am Baarriss Offee. I'm here to meet you." she said. Then, seeing everyone but Ezra (too young to know) and Ahsoka was even warier of her, she explained: "Already dealt with that, I'm safe."  
  
"Wait... Is this Seventh Sister...?" Maul whispered. Then, when Ahsoka nodded, he laughed and complimented Dooku and the Twillers for _still_ being able to mess with the galaxy even after so long.  
  
"You... You're crazy, you know?" one of the Inquisitors said. "She's gonna kill you."  
  
"Or I will kill her. Now, could you lead us to her? Or should I kill myself and let you deal with her?"  
  
After a shout of anger, the Inquisitors told the group to follow them, while Maul admitted his reluctant admiration for taking _herself_ hostage.  
  
"I don't get it, why are they all like, well, _this_?" Ezra asked as they reached where the Seventh Sister was, showing again how young he was.  
  
"Why are the Clone Wars called that?" she asked back.  
  
"Because the Republic used a massive army of clonetroopers to fight it."  
  
"Correct, but insufficient-both Republic and Separatists used cloning technology to fight the war."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The Republic most famously used Kaminoan-made clones of Jango Fett as soldiers and the elite of the Grand Army, but also Spaarti cloning cylinders captured at Cartao to create a supplementary army from other sources. It was faster, only three years, but their debut at the Battle of Coruscant showed they weren't anywhere as good as the proper Clonetroopers. And of course the Khommite soldiers were all clones, but they do use cloning as their only mean of reproduction, so it would be unfair.  
"On the Separatist side... They rushed Spaarti clones to create a wave of infiltrators, created too fast to not suffer from Clone madness. My husband-"  
  
"Your WHAT?!" Kanan shouted.  
  
"-had dealings with them, he knows how psychotic they were. They were all identified and dealt with quickly, but the effort kept the Republic busy long enough we couldn't take advantage of Sev'rance Tann's failure at organizing a unified military before Grievous took over and forced his order of battle on the Droid Armies. There's also the Morgukai Shadow Army, created with the Spaarti cylinders that were brought to Felucia before the Battle of Cartao-and the second wave of infiltrators, ones that didn't suffer from Clone Madness, aside for homicidal reactions to their originals or being exposed as clones, and believed themselves their originals until their programming was activated. Before they could be activated, however, they were discovered by accident during a high-profile trial due their quirk about adding a vowel to their originals' names."  
  
By then they had reached the seething Seventh Sister, who was barely keeping herself from jumping. And by seeing her face, effectively identical to hers aside for the different tattoos and eyes, he realized what was happening.  
  
"Wait... The Seventh Sister is your clone!" he said.  
  
"No, _I_ am hers." she admitted. "That's why I wasn't tried and executed as a traitor after my betrayal of the Order: they didn't know how much was me and how much the conditioning until my original was found on Felucia and discovered almost as much in doubt about the Order as I was. Though I wonder how did you survive, Barriss."  
  
"Don't you dare to use that name!" the former Barriss Offee spat. "I am the Seventh Sister now, far greater than the little girl captured by the Separatists and replaced by _you_!"  
  
"You were a Knight. And even had a Padawan after you were rescued. And from what I've been told, you Inquisitors aren't the best fighters." Dark Siders really loved Dun Möch, as they called that way of taunting to break someone's concentration and ability to think straight, but, quite ironically, they often were far more vulnerable than Light Siders. It was just their good luck most didn't use it... And the Seventh Sister's horrible luck that her clone had come ready to do just that, to a point nobody expected.  
  
And when the Seventh Sister lunged at her in anger, Baarriss used the Soresu skills she had refreshed ever since Tarkin had shown his knowledge of her continued survival and the lightsaber provided back then to block. She was no Obi-Wan Kenobi, and her Soresu wasn't anywhere as good at the one of the man who put Grievous down, but her opponent was no Grievous and it was enough to hold her own until the Seventh Sister noticed the lightsaber: hers.  
  
"You THIEF!" she screamed, her growing anger pushing her to do the stupidest possible thing against a practitioner of the Soresu lightsaber fighting style: spin the blades of her lightsaber to try and chop her down better.  
  
Just as Grievous in his final duel lost two hands and weapons to parries at slightly different angles, the first attack with the spinning lighsaber saw its emitters cut away by Baarriss' block. The Seventh Sister could only look in horror and anger at her wrecked weapon, especially as Baarriss' use of Soresu came from _her_ to begin with. Then her look turned to surprise as she felt her heart pierced by what had once been her weapon.  
  
"For what is worth, I'm sorry it had to end like this." Baarriss said to her original. "I hope you'll find peace now."  
  
"See?! Neither of the veteran Jedi hesitated!" she heard Maul shout, and as she looked around she saw that during her duel with Barriss the others had taken down the remaining Inquisitors-and Maul had apparently tried to have Ezra take down one of them while he was incapacitated, and was now scolding him using Ahsoka's use of lethal force and Baarriss finishing off a disarmed foe as example.  
  
"That's because we're weak." Baarriss replied. "A true Jedi would have given them mercy."  
  
"No, a _strong_ Jedi would have done so. Because someone like Kenobi would have been strong enough to have mercy without it backfiring on him. I know that from experience. And until then... Until then, we can't afford any mercy. Now let's move, I have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

  
Maul's fear was proven right: after they had found the holocron and were about to leave they found Darth Vader himself standing on his slowly descending fighter.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how did I come up with _that_? A few possibly disconnected parts from Legends.  
> First, we have a dialogue in the original Thrawn Trilogy, where Pellaeon revealed that the enemy, whoever they were (as the Separatists had not been conceived yet), had used Spaarti cloning cylinders to create infiltrators. The dialogue was more about Pellaeon finding out Joruus C'baoth, being an early clone, was psychotic even before Dark Side brain damage settled in and being _pissed_ that Thrawn exposed his crew to him, but it also explained the enemy eventually solved the Clone Madness issue and that they had a quirk about using the same name as the original but with an added vowel (Joruus C'baoth was the clone of master Jorus C'baoth, and Luke's clone from the trilogy called himself Luuke).  
> Second, we have the fact that Barriss Offee was originally supposed to be shown killed by the Clonetroopers on Felucia, and other material created before TCW showed her as having a Padawan by the end of the Clone Wars.  
> Finally, in Legends the Separatists creating the Morgukai Shadow Army, cloned from members of the Morgukai secret society of the Nikto species, on Saleucami using Spaarti cylinders. That is, we have confirmation that the Separatists maintained rapid cloning capability even after losing Cartao.  
> And when one takes into account that Barriss Offee was exposed as a traitor and imprisoned in "The Wrong Jedi", what other conclusion I could take that the traitor was actually one of the cloned infiltrators and was caught during booking as she absent-mindedly corrected the Clonetroopers that her name was Ba _a_ rriss?


	32. Year 16 of the Empire: Ahsoka faces Darth Vader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is-the battle against Darth Vader on Malachor. Also once again drawing from Matt Stover's novelization of _Revenge of the Sith_ , and in particular that Anakin, not tolerating the visions about Padme's death, had been using the Force to keep himself from sleeping for _days_.

As she watched her former master slowly descend on them standing over his fighter, Ahsoka realized just in how many ways they were doomed. In theory they could gang on him and tire him down, but in practice they weren't coordinated, and with lightsabers getting in each other's way meant losing limbs. That, and Darth Vader knew far too well how to fight against multiple uncoordinated opponents, she knew that from him training her in that in case she had to face multiple Dark Acolytes. An alternative tactic could have been to alternate and tire him down while they remained relatively fresh, but while she trusted Maul, Kanan and especially Baarriss to hold their own for a few minutes she didn't expect Ezra to survive ten seconds if Vader actually made some effort, especially as she could feel him being intimidated by Vader's entrance. And if Ezra died, that would certainly throw Kanan off, and possibly Baarriss. She knew exactly what she had to do-use that plan that could have come out of Ferren Barr's mind that had instead been put together by herself and Grand Moff Tarkin (who she felt was getting too similar to his crazy niece).  
  
"I'm going to do something really stupid and channel Ferren Barr, play ball and when he's distracted run." Ahsoka said to the others as she prepared her lightsabers. Then, before anyone could say anything, she turned to the man who she hoped was still Anakin Skywalker deep down and shouted: "Hey, Skyguy, have you been sleeping well?!"  
  
 ** _"What?"_** Vader asked from up his fighter.  
  
"I remember how you were last time we met, right before Mandalore. You hadn't been sleeping for days due those visions about your wife's possible death-"  
  
"WHAT?!" Ezra exclaimed.  
  
"-and then you were recalled to Coruscant to deal with Grievous' attack, and we know what happened after that."  
  
"Ahsoka, are you saying that the rise of the Empire and the extermination of the Jedi Order is the result of your Master being too sleep deprived to consider that maybe the visions about the Senator's potential death came from the Sith?" Baarriss asked with a surprisingly sweet tone. Then, seeing Ahsoka nod and hearing Maul snicker, she shouted: "Come on! What's next, he thought she was cheating on him with Master Kenobi?!"  
  
"As if! He'd have killed himself first, I knew him." Maul admitted. Then he felt Vader's embarrassment, and turned to him: "Seriously?"  
  
"Maybe they were having issues in the bed." Ahsoka sniped. "I'm told lack of sleep can have such side effects..."  
  
Vader jumped down of the fighter with a roar, swinging his lightsaber at Ahsoka with enough strength to overpower even Grievous. Not that she was foolish enough to try and block it-she had been trained by the man before him and knew she'd have been outmuscled, thus she used her left saber to parry his swing while she moved to the side and tried to slice him with the other.  
  
That was when the others ran, taking with them the holocron after placing near the temple the "Mini-X271" they had been given by the Republic Outland Regions Security Force for the mission.

* * *

  
  
  
In Ahsoka's opinion, Darth Vader's ability to not get cut down by her while he attacked in blind rage said everything one needed to know about how her old master spent his free time in the last sixteen years. No matter how much he overextended himself or how fast she was with her two blades, he'd either moved aside with more agility most people would expect from a heavy cyborg or blocked, all by reflexes she believed he had honed by scrapping countless augmented ASP-19 battle droids. Even two or three at a time, considering how he parried her left saber directed at his torso while he dodged the right one directed at his head. As she pushed him back with the Force she saw him reorient himself to not fall in the charm near the temple, indicating he had calmed down. That was it, she was either going to die or push Tarkin's manipulation of the Sith Lord a bit forward. Or both.  
  
 ** _"That was worse than Ohnaka, with Ferren Barr's advice."_** Vader stated as he stopped. **_"You've become more cunning, and just as powerful. We don't need to be adversaries-with your help we can put an end to this war, bring peace, freedom, justice and security to the Empire._ Our _Empire."_**  
  
"Did you make a similar offer to Padme before killing her?" Ahsoka replied, making Vader flinch. "I'm sorry, but I can't trust you. You may not be as bad as you could have been, but the Emperor twisted you, made you live only on anger and hatred. That's why we aren't letting you meet your daughter."  
  
 ** _"My what?! But Padme... Her body..."_**  
  
The temple started to shake, then to crack. Just as a piece of masonry hit Tarkin's doomsday device Ahsoka ran, reaching the shuttle just in time. And as they took off, Ezra asked how was it possible that Darth Vader, of all people, could get married.  
  
"He was quite handsome before being thrown into a volcano." Ahsoka replied. "But yes, he was Anakin Skywalker and married with a Senator, Padme Amidala Naberrie... And as Jedi aren't supposed to be married they tried to keep it secret, and failed. Badly."  
  
"Right after taking over Mandalore, the Death Watch asked Amidala's friend the Duchess if they were married, lovers, friends with benefits, or just close friends." Maul said. "They had a betting pool ever since they saw them together on the planet _once_."  
  
"OK... And who is this Ferren Barr?"  
  
"He was the most infamous Padawan of the last three hundred years. Think Hondo as a Jedi but twice as smart, and you won't be far off." Kanan said.  
  
"Unless the pirate is even more shameless than the rumors said, that's putting it lightly. Here, I have footage of him in action after the war." Baarriss said as she produced a holoprojector... And played the scene of the infamous Padawan mind-tricking Clone Purge Troopers into executing Order 66 on three Inquisitors. "They assigned him to the Hyperionian because he was the only one who could actually deal with him, but they got separated on Eriadu during Order 66, and that was the result."  
  
Before Ezra could say what he thought of the late Padawan they all felt a disturbance in the Force, and went to the shuttle's window to watch Malachor.  
  
"Before anyone asks, the device wasn't that powerful and was squashed before activation anyway." Ahsoka said.

* * *

  
  
  
Admiral Conan Antonio Motti, chief of the Imperial Navy, was known for four things: being the cousin of Grand Moff Tarkin's wife, being a deeply religious man, having earned post and rank the hard way, that is by hunting down Separatist holdouts and dealing with a Tof incursion (the only help his famous relative ever gave him was to trust him to command a gunship at Eighth Sullust, and that was only because captain Helaw had vouched for him and they were short on officers), and his great appreciation of new technologies. The latter was why he had been personally commanding the new prototype superdreadnought _Annihilator_ (that Lira Wessex had just been tasked to use as starting point for a new and even superior warship) during her shakedown cruise, thus being fortuitously in the position to lead the first ship on the scene in the aftermath of what had happened to Malachor-whose luck seemed to have finally ran out, surviving two firing of the infamous Mass Shadow Generator _and_ the Scourge of Malachor before this battle reduced it into asteroids. Literally. And now the one witness, Darth Vader, had just said something preposterous.  
  
"You-you say you did that? With the Force?!" he asked the Sith his crew had just rescued.  
  
 ** _"The Force is the universe itself. It holds everything together. I am powerful in it, and became too emotional while too close to what had caused the Scourge."_** Vader said, matter-of-factly. Then, remembering something about Motti, he added: **_"Nobody knows the origin of the Force-it's a fact of life, an aspect of the universe itself, not a divinity."_**  
  
"G-good to know."  
  
 ** _"Everything else is in my report to the Emperor."_** Vader stated-omitting he didn't plan to say him about a certain discovery.  
  
"Uh? Oh, good. Route to Coruscant!"

* * *

  
  
  
At the civilian side of the Imperial Royal Academy, Rivoche was discussing with Leia Organa about the merits of the post-Ruusan organization of the Senate when she heard the door of the private room they were in open. The two young women turned to deal with the intruder, only for any protest to die when they saw it was Darth Vader.  
  
"Lord Vader, what an unexpected surprise." Rivoche said, wondering why the Sith was there.  
  
 ** _"You're using your trophies as accessories."_** Vader stated, noting that Rivoche was wearing A'sharad Hett's disabled lightsaber on her belt.  
  
"A memory of the first day I understood why the priviliged have duties proportional to their privileges-and first performed mine."  
  
 ** _"You will perform them again right now. Is the princess loyal?"_**  
  
"Of course. We may not agree on a number of things, but I know her main goal in life is to insure the Senate will pull its weight and help the people rather than being dragged to its duties by the Emperor's will."  
  
 ** _"Good."_** Vader stated before turning to the princess and, pointing directly to her face, stating: **_"You will remain so, for your own good."_**  
  
With that said Vader left the room, stopping only to close it again.  
  
"What was that about?" Leia asked her acquaintance.  
  
"I don't know. Though I'm starting to suspect something horrible that I'm not going to share." Rivoche replied, hoping that what her intuition was telling her was just the result of the slight paranoia she had acquired as a Rebel agent. "By the way, drinking age here is 16, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. The great duel on Malachor, with Ahsoka hitting a few more of Vader's buttons-and our heroines getting the scare of their lives. How will it go with Vader? Wait, and you'll see. Oh, and Ahsoka's guess on how long it would take Vader to kill Ezra if he actually tried was accurate: in "Twilight of the Apprentice" it took about _six seconds_ between Vader actually starting to put some effort in the fight and Ezra's lightsaber being destroyed, and the only reason he survived is that Vader decided to express his disappointment at his sudden terror before killing him, giving Ahsoka just enough time to arrive and get his attention.


	33. Year 1 of the Empire: Wilhuff Tarkin raises an army 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise: Tarkin has a knack for these.

In his office, the newly appointed Moff Wilhuff Tarkin was verifying the reports about Quintad Ground-based Manufacturing's new armor production lines when his appointment arrived about twenty minutes early. A classic "hurry up and wait" in military fashion, as expected from the individual.  
  
"Send the marshall commander in." he told to his aide. And soon after he came in, clad in a perfectly clean yet scarred armor.  
  
"Marshall commander CC-2224 reporting as ordered, sir." he presented himself.  
  
"Good. Please, sit. Though I remember you prefer Cody?"  
  
"I do. But with the new orders..."  
  
"The Clonetroopers have fought and died to save the galaxy from the Separatists, and then you and your unit personally neutralized one of the most dangerous Jedi traitors, as far I'm concerned you've earned the privilege of going by whatever name you want more times than I can count."  
  
"Thank you, sir. Though if I can speak freely..."  
  
"Always."  
  
"I do not believe general Kenobi was a traitor, never did even when the chip was active."  
  
"Then why did you order an artillery barrage on him?"  
  
"I had my orders, and I couldn't be sure he'd choose the Republic over the Jedi now that Windu had started that coup. And if he choose the Jedi..."  
  
"Kenobi's combat record speaks for itself. Now, I hear you got your orders?"  
  
"Yes, sir. But I don't understand, why breaking up the 7th Sky Corps?"  
  
"Direct orders from the Emperor. I can only suppose he doesn't fully trust you, not after Kenobi managed to escape you, and didn't want to keep his personal unit together. Gave me the chance to have your battalion assigned directly to me, so I won't complain."  
  
"And that brings me to the other order, sir."  
  
"Any issue with that?"  
  
"Well... They're not Clones!"  
  
"They aren't. But they're the best men and women in the entire former ORSF, veterans of dozens of battles, and it's time the citizens of the galaxy takes over the duty of defending themselves. With proper instructors they can take it, and, knowing what will be required of them, you have six months to complete your orders-or kill them trying."  
  
Cody was about to object again when the last phrase made him realize Tarkin understood exactly what he was asking.  
  


* * *

  
  
Soldiers from the former ORSF had been assembled in from of the governor's palace, deployed by squad, under the eyes of curious onlookers and a single Stormtrooper battalion-still entirely composed of Clones, the decree opening the new Stormtrooper Corps to natural born people being too recent for the battalion including anything else. And right over them one of the new _Imperial_ -class Star Destroyers was hovering over the city and the palace. Finally, the Moff showed himself on the balcony, accompained by a Clonetrooper without his helmet.  
  
"I welcome you here, veterans of the Outland Regions Security Force." Tarkin started. "You are the best the entire Greater Seswenna has to offer, picked squad by squad by my staff, for one and only task: fill that ship." he continued, eventually pointing at the Star Destroyer. "It's the _Executrix_ , the flagship of the Moff of this Oversector. She can carry a full legion of Stormtroopers, and it's been suggested to assign an existing legion to her, but I know better than that. I know _you_. Service on the _Executrix_ is one of the most prestigious posts in the Empire, and it would be foolish and insulting to exclude the best soldiers of the Greater Seswenna, who differ from the Stormtroopers only in equipment, training, and height. Starting tomorrow you will train under the veterans of the 212th Attack Battalion, so that, in six months time, you and these veteran Clones will form the new Legion _Executrix_ and serve on it. It won't be easy, even for you-but I know, I've _seen_ , you completing harder tasks. Will you do it?"  
  
A deafening roar of agreement rose from the soldiers-their commander, who had led them to victory against the Separatists, asked them to become even better and guard him, how could they refuse? And much to Cody's surprise, the dropout rate would be of less than 1%, all due freak accidents that crippled or killed the perspective Stormtrooper.


	34. Year 5 before the Empire: Ventress hunts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am. I was planning for another one, but that one's taking more time than expected.

As she approached the shuttle for her impending voyage as a bodyguard to Dooku (as if she could protect him from anything who actually posed a threat to him, she wasn't that strong _yet_. She was there because a ruler and anyone politically important was _supposed_ to have a bodyguard, and given them Dark Acolytes had actual working lightsabers and the skills to actually use them for now they had that job too), Asajj Ventress was checking if she had all of the necessary reading on her datapad when an arachnoid alien and a _tall_ being (who was slightly taller than her-and was visibly hunched) covered in a white cape and a strange mask barred her path.

"You're reading Adar Tallon?" the arachnoid asked.

"As a Dark Acolyte I'll lead troops in battle when the war starts, I'm obviously preparing." Ventress replied, ready to get the two out of the way.

**_"I see you aren't stupid as the others. As expected from an assassin."_** the caped one stated in an electronically altered voice. **_"Where are my manners? This is admiral Trench, from the Corporate Alliance, and I, I am The General. San Hill wants to keep my existence hidden from the wider galaxy for the time being."_**

"Asajj Ventress." no point in being rude-they were on her side, or at least against the other Dark Acolytes, and she had heard of Trench, the best fleet commander in living memory. And if he considered this General his peer, they would be valuable allies. "Any reason for you approaching me?"

"You and Dooku are going to Eriadu to try and recruit Tarkin. We'd like to have you do your own attempt." Trench said.

"Why me? I'm not a politician-as you yourselves said, I'm an assassin."

**_"Precisely."_** The General added. **_"An assassin, that is a huntress of people. And Tarkin is the same-though he prefers them alive. You have a better chance to understand him, and get him on our side. Even without his sector, he'd be priceless"_**

"Even without the sector? What are you talking about?"

"That fool Tann isn't setting up a proper command structure and order of battle-if the war started right now, we could lose to the Judicials. The Judicials! But he's a Dark Acolyte with military experience and a passion for superweapons, so Dooku made him Supreme Commander in the place of proper professionals like us, Loathsom, or Kett." Trench said.

**"** **_Tarkin, however, is fear incarnated, and a professional. For all her arrogance, Sev'rance Tann won't be able to stand up to him, and he understands how a military should work. Bring him to our side, and victory will be insured."_ **

"I'll see what I can do." Ventress promised. If it ensured victory for the Confederacy, and on top of that weakened a rival, then she'd be a fool to not go for it. She wouldn't even correct the General on Tann's gender (assuming it wasn't on purpose).

* * *

The voyage to Eriadu had been calm. Partly due them using a _Bayonet_ cruiser provided by Raxus' local fleet (a Republic Sienar Systems product rather than something from a larger or more Separatist-friendly shipwright, but then again the Tionese worlds tended to buy local whenever they could), and even if aging few pirates would dare to face one, and, in the final leg of the journey, due the Outland Regions Security Force doing its best to live up to its reputation, especially after governor Tarkin made an example of a cousin that didn't answer to a pirate raid aimed to economic rivals (she hadn't known Republic laws could get _that_ harsh on a pirate's accomplice).

And now he was there-Wilhuff Tarkin, governor of the Seswenna sector. They had told Ventress he was an accomplished hunter, and indeed she could spot a few traps made to deal with Force users, plus a few fake ones, and if she interpreted his calm correctly all of that were distractions for the real deal. Her respect for the man raised up a few notches, even before Dooku told her to _never_ try and read his mind, for her own good.

At Tarkin's side there were the lieutenant governor of Eriadu, a guy from the Paige family, and a tall, somewhat attractive, and physically powerful woman, that the files identified as Thalassa Tarkin, nee Motti-Tarkin's wife. Who had once been victim of an assassination attempt after her husband dealth with Q'anah's Marauders, only for the would be assassin to find out the hard way the Tarkin family has a collective fetish for dangerous women. She could respect that, both their preferences and the lady Tarkin beating a large man into submission with the grip of his own blaster while cradling her only son with the other hand.

Looking around, she saw the holosigns greeting the "Count of Serenno"-of course, they didn't recognize the Confederacy-and her equivalents, an infantry company from the ORSF in Quintad conquest-era uniforms and carrying A-280 blaster rifles with vibrobayonets that to her trained eye showed signs of use but were well maintained. They weren't _her_ , but she could respect them: the Guard Divisions of the ORSF, as organized by Ranulph Tarkin and improved by the current one, were actual soldiers that were periodically rotated to duty away from the palaces they guarded, and, differently from decorative units like the Senate Guard, wore uniforms they could easily move in-though which one depended on the world they were raised from-and knew how to use their blasters.

Then it came the time of the greetings, and the lieutenant governor expressed surprise at Dooku's choice of bodyguard, saying that "she looks like a Jedi". A subtle challenge to her abilities-and the signal she had to show off in a way that couldn't be mistaken as hostile. So she clearly and evidently extended her right arm and summoned an officer's ceremonial vibrosword from his hand, then pointed it at the officer and summoned the scabbard on it, before slowly levitating it back to the owner. And acting as if she hadn't noticed the sword's edge was lined in cortosis, thought she'd report it to Dooku.

All in all, it was a perfectly good situation, with everyone showing off their ability to kill the other side in harmless ways, just a prelude to the negotiations. Though she had no idea why the Lady Tarkin was now emanating homicidal intent directed at _her_.

* * *

At the reception Ventress stayed in a corner, immobile like a statue. Today, in the end, she was just a status symbol of Dooku: if someone attacked she could fight, but they would have to get through the Guards-two whole divisions, the 1st Eriaduan and the 3rd Parwan-that were currently tasked with guarding the governor's palace, so it was just better to show her discipline, moving just enough to prove she wasn't sleeping. She could also look out for assassins-ones that got through the less visible bodyguards, but so far she had only spotted one they had let come close to the hall before "disappearing" him just so she'd sense it.

As she looked around she noted a difference in styles between the main host and his wife. Under the veda cloth robes that were part of his governor dress, Wilhuff Tarkin was wearing the red uniform of the Outland Regions Security Force, the rank insignia with a horizontal bar over it announcing he held the rank of line captain of the reserve, made of synfleece lined with armorweave rather than the usual steelcloth, according to what she had heard in the past hour. Simple and practical, yet quite opulent. And Dooku's own style-his clothes were in expensive shimmersilk and lined in armorweave for protection, yet of surprising simplicity and apparently plain to anyone who couldn't tell the difference. The Lady Tarkin, on the other hand, wore a rather complex purple dress-and just the _dye_ had nearly got her to break character, as someone commented it was "imperial dye" extracted from _sea snails_ found in a specific small sea of Urthha. Then there were the gold-no, aurodium-jewels, the high heels (a fashion item whose very existence offended Ventress and everything she stood for), the puffy skirt... Honestly, Ventress felt hurt just by _looking_. Hurt and insulted that a strong woman would be willing to debase herself like that and waste so much money in the process.

The woman also seemed to hate Ventress for no reason. It felt more personal than the speciesism so widespread among the local higher ups, but they hadn't interacted at all beyond Lady Tarkin's glares. That she ignored, she had a job to do. Then governor Tarkin picked up on that-and every five minutes he'd let his wife catch him looking at her, or coming near where she was standing. It was just plain weird. At least until she overheard people wondering if Tarkin would cheat on her out of spite _again_. Apparently he held some grudge against his wife. Maybe the circumstances of the arranged marriage weren't the best-even if she had heard the wife's devotion was exceptional.

* * *

"And then he wiped out the pirates, without risking any of his followers."

For the first time since she knew him, Ventress pitied Dooku. Thalassa Tarkin only spoke of her husband-and spoke of him to everyone who couldn't find an excuse to get away. It started to look like Tarkin had married his own stalker. The question of course was why-and why he hadn't got her into an accident or something, or at least divorced her.

* * *

It was the eve of the last day of the state visit to Eriadu-and, like the other times, Dooku hadn't been able to sway Tarkin. Not even the fact Fondor, where most of the sector's lommite exports went to, was likely to defect to the Confederacy had done the trick, in fact Tarkin had said that he expected such a defection to be extremely short lived.

"A firm believer in the Republic as it should be, and ready to die to defend it and then start proper reformations." Dooku admitted to Ventress, unable to repress his admiration for him. "And no matter what I offer to him personally, he refused everything."

"Every man has a price." Ventress replied.

"Not Wilhuff Tarkin."

"He does, and it's his wife dying in a way that can't be connected to him."

"Say what?" Dooku asked, not surprised that Ventress had looked around (he'd have found it strange), just by her conclusions.

"He would have already killed her himself, but if he got caught... Let's just say the consequences would be dire. But I, I can make it look a genuine accident, or frame one of his political rivals. I hear the Eriadu branch of the Valorum is making noises about the contract for Tarkin's prized _Night Hammer_ cruisers..."

"I suppose trying won't hurt. But if it backfires..."

"I shall pay for it. That is the way of the Sith."

* * *

"It would have worked!" Dooku exclaimed after the meeting. "It would have worked at the previous visit!"

"What changed?" Ventress asked, wondering if she should expect punishment or what.

"Tikkes joined the Council. He says he's not stupid enough to trust any group that includes someone as vile as the Hutt but not as smart."

"Is Tikkes more useful alive or dead?"

"Alive. For now, at least."

Ventress said nothing. At least it explained the message she had got, an offer to join the Outland Regions Security Force as an investigator. One she had refused-she wouldn't join the losing side.

* * *

Almost a year had passed since Ventress had nearly got Tarkin to join the Confederacy, and a month since the war had started. They had caught the Republic by surprise, forcing it to scramble to assemble a proper military centered about these surprise Clonetroopers... And they were _still_ being pushed back, hard, due Tann not forming a proper order of battle but merely requisitioning what droids she wanted for her personal campaign, allowing the former Judicials and the loyalist PSF (that tended to be of higher level than the Confederate ones) to take advantage of the weaknesses of the overspecialized corporate droid armies. Just two days after Geonosis, the _Mahoroba_ and the _Great Galaxy_ from the ORSF had raided Sluis Van, successfully destroying numerous docks, five times their tonnage in merchant ships and seven warships thanks to the lack of coordination between the Sluissi and the Corporate Alliance reinforcements, and the only reason what Octavian Grant, Maarisa Zsinj and the local population had done to deal with Fondor's defection wasn't depressing was that it had gone full circle and got funny. Only the Trade Defense Force, at least the parts that followed Nute Gunray openly rather than fake neutrality or loyalty to the Republic, weren't being outclassed and gutted at almost every turn-and they were of course being singled out for destruction, expecially their _Lucrehulks_.

That would have been bad enough for her, that and knowing that her failure was responsible for that. But the previous day she and Durge had taken on a strangely familiar cyborg on Trenchant space station, and only now she and Durge had come out of the bacta tank. With the cyborg looking at them with what she had to swear was smugness, even if the faceplate hid it. And then, it clicked.

"You! You are The General!" Ventress exclaimed.

**_"I didn't hit your head too hard. Good."_** the cyborg replied. **_"I am Grievous-the Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies."_**

"What about Sev'rance Tann?" Durge asked.

**_"He provoked a Jedi Master who already held a grudge against her, so Dooku decided to see which of us should succeed her. Now, I've told you what I wanted to tell you, so I'll take my leave. I have to beat the corporates and the others into implementing the order of battle Trench and I assembled in the last year, and then set up the defenses for Hypori before the Jedi get there. At least San Hill had enough sense to follow my instructions for Muunilist and Mygeeto..."_ **

As Durge started ranting on how personal fighting prowess was supposed to prove someone's ability to win a war, Ventress started wondering if she should have accepted Tarkin's proposal and defected to the ORSF-at least until the Separatist forces reorganized around Grievous' and Trench's orders of battle didn't start using their numerical superiority effectively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, Thalassa Tarkin in all her glory... And something from Legends. Where the first commander of the Confederacy military was a Chiss emigrate named Sev'rance Tann, who somehow forgot to organize the droid armies-that is explicitely attributed to Grievous-before getting killed a month in the war, and Dooku actually set Ventress and Durge on Grievous to appoint the winner as Tann's successor-with Grievous having all the time he needed to prepare the battlefield.


	35. Year 1 before the Empire: Gideon Tarkin inspects the frontline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've seen a lot of Rivoche, but what about the man who sired her and raised her until his untimely death?

In Gideon Tarkin's modest opinion, Sullust was a hellhole. The atmosphere was barely breathable, and the crust was semi-permeable and prone to volcanic eruptions-hence the air problems. No wonder the local near-Humans preferred living either in orbit or underground (though he wondered why they had colonized the planet in the first place). And if it had been up to him they would have just assumed control of the shipyards after Dooku had turned on Ventress for no apparent reason and the Sullustan Home Guard fleet switched sides... But part of the Sullustan Home Guard _army_ had remained loyal to the traitorous Senator Bribbs, and they controlled incomplete ground-to-orbit turbolasers-and, being the followers of a traitor, the assholes had put them in the open protected only by theatre shields rather than domes. So them, his troopers (including the Sullustans that had rejoined the ORSF), and the Clonetroopers were having to fight in the open, trying to get to the guns before they could activate them and destroy the shipyards.

"We are reaching this objective with minimal losses, sir." major Sian Tevv, one of the locals, protested as Tarkin inspected the infirmary of his regiment, engaged in going after a gun near the capital.

"You have already suffered 10% casualties, and aren't getting many supplies right now." Tarkin replied. "You need to be rotated out and replaced with a less damaged unit, one that can be supplied from the standard depots. You don't even have bacta!"

"We can still fight. And have been able to set up a few things."

Tarkin looked at the pained men in the infirmary, that occupied it almost to capacity, then at the major.

"Tell me, how do you and your medics plan to keep these men from having their wounds infected?" he asked.

"Sir, I think I can answer to that sir." his sergeant replied pointing at a previously mechanism that had a number of filled bottles near it.

"Is that... A still?"

"Sir, yes, sir."

Tevv looked like he wanted to strangle his medics for leaving proof of their illegal production of whiskey where the general's men could notice it. Then Tarkin caught him by surprise: "Well, I stand corrected. You can still make your sanitizer with this supply situation-if you're so resourceful, I suppose I can leave you a couple more days before rotating you out. But as soon as we manage to bring you bacta I expect not to see that thing in operation."

Tarkin left, and Tevv's regiment managed to capture the gun in time. And at the next inspection, following the bacta supply, he couldn't find the still. He chose to ignore that the troops had a good supply of whiskey-he could assume other sources, after all.


	36. Year 5 of the Empire: Tarkin does the impossible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is based on an event that happens in the new Disney Canon. Specifically, issue 18 of _Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith_. And seriously, Vader needs better hobbies.

It had been over two weeks since he arrived on Chandar's Folly, but Vader had finally, finally won. When he had cashed in that debt Tarkin owed him since the "pacification" of Dac, Darth Vader had expected to be done and kill or defeat Tarkin and his hunting party in a couple days tops. Instead it had been over two weeks, and many close calls. Including when the hunters had stolen his lightsaber, right before he ran into a Valath, the local apex predator. He had got a few days of food and a new cape out of that encounter, but he'd have preferred having his lighsaber for it.  
  
Didn't matter. He had his weapon back, Tarkin's hunting party had been wiped out, and now Wilhuff Tarkin had accepted his fate and stopped running. Now, not only he had finally been challenged again after years, and far more than from anyone since he had gone unarmed to face Kirak Infil'a for his lightsaber (and he was still wondering why, if the Sith supposedly got their khyber crystals only by killing Jedi and stealing their weapons, they had gone unnoticed for so long. He'd bet his lungs it had actually been a test), he'd repay Tarkin for his attitude at Ahsoka's trial. Vader lifted his lightsaber, ready to finish him... And then he discovered he could still feel far more pain than he normally did. It was worse than after being defeated by Obi-Wan. His respirator wasn't working well anymore. Neither most of his protesis-the ones that hadn't been shut down as if hit by a ion blast.  
  
"There, Vader. As we agreed." Tarkin said, as he rose from where he lied-when had he been tossed to the ground? And by what? It didn't matter, Tarkin had a comlink in one hand and his other holdout blaster in the other. It was clear what would happen right now.  
  
Then Tarkin's blaster glowed blue rather than the expected red, and Vader lost consciousness.

* * *

  
  
"So, I suppose you're wondering what happened." Tarkin said from outside Vader's bacta-filled meditation chamber-the same one the Sith he had forced him to carry on the _Carrion Spike_ a few months ealier-and that Tarkin, after waking him up, had admitted he had initially thought was a special toilet for cyborgs. Vader had actually laughed at that one. "I tricked you into a thunderstorm. And since you're taller than my 182cm when I'm standing, it was obvious who'd been struck down by lightning."  
  
"Seriously?!" Vader replied in his real voice-before putting him in the meditation chamber, Tarkin had hidden away his armor. "I can't have been so stupid!"  
  
"You have been, I'm afraid. Though you weren't fully rested, so that may have influenced your thought process once again." Vader winced at that-if he hadn't been so sleep deprived in the last days of the Republic, maybe Padme would still be alive. "Now, I suppose you're wondering why you're still alive." Vader only replied with a flat look. "The answer is simple: I'm not letting you take the easy way out. You will live with your messes and those of your predecessors. And maybe clean them up-your wife and unborn child would have wanted that."  
  
The _Carrion Spike_ shook, and Vader was immediately electrocuted back into submission.  
  
"None of that, please. This ship is a present from my best friend-and only one remaining, I fear." Tarkin said. "Now, what where we saying? Oh, yes-that maybe, if you can be a Sith capable of actually ruling and be admired by us normal people rather than the usual destroyer, you'll be able to move forward. Actually start living, rather than being an attack dog. Do it for her. Do it for what could have been. Bring _real_ peace, freedom, justice and security to this Empire."  
  
Vader growled for a moment at that. Then he decided to ask something else: "Where's my armor?"  
  
"My trophies, you mean."  
  
"What."  
  
"As you said when you asked me to hunt you down, I'm an excellent hunter. And I may have spared your life, but I'll still enjoy some tangible proof that I defeated _the_ Darth Vader, and mount your armor to a wall. But not your lightsaber, I'll need a persistent cough and a tribal mask to start such a collection."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, in the new Canon one day Vader went and asked Tarkin to hunt him down and kill him-if he could. And Tarkin won just as described. There it ended a bit differently when Tarkin spared Vader, but here he had other motivations.


	37. Year 4 before the Empire: Tarkin discusses rearmament

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something from the pre-Clone Wars era, discussing things that needed being discussed.

Wilhuff Tarkin didn't really like going to Coruscant. He preferred staying on Eriadu, or at the very least in his sector, and do his job, and even during his stint in the Judicials between his lieutenant governorship of Eriadu and his elector to governor for the entire sector he had preferred staying away-even the _Rim Merchant Einem_ , the cargo hauler he had used on that "black" mission, had been better than having to deal with the "elite" of the galactic capital. But sometimes, business had to be done there. And so he had reached the capital, and with his in-law Shayla Paige-Tarkin, the senator for his sector, he had got an appointment with senator Amidala of Naboo (another sign of the Republic's corruption- _planetary senators_. At least this one was a honest woman, differently from her former sectorial counterpart Greejatus) to discuss her opposition to the Military Creation Act. Now that it was finally due to be voted on she was among the leading members of the opposition, and if they could talk or blackmail her in their camp it would make the act passing much more likely. Though he hoped on reasoning, according to Armand senator Amidala had proven impossible to spy on ever since she took office, with bugs just burning out at random intervals and he wasn't sure his reinforced bugs would work.  
  
Sadly, after confirming they were ready to turn off any electronic device at a moment's notice (a necessity in her office, that Tarkin guessed was part of her precautions to avoid being spied upon), the two Tarkins ran in the main issue when dealing with a honest and smart politician: they know what they're doing and why.  
  
"I cannot support the creation of an army, not when the Separatists could feel threatened into abandoning negotiations." she explained. "And I will certainly not help in making the taxpayers fund gigantic warships that could be used only in a war."  
  
"I'm sorry, has any of us ever mistaken a bucket for a hat?" senator Paige-Tarkin replied, referencing the odd headdress favored by important Kuati.  
  
"We aren't supporting the creation of a large armada of those so-called Star Destroyers either." governor Tarkin added. "What we hope is to give the Republic what it needs: a force large and well trained enough to deal with piracy, and with its officers achieving higher ranks based on their skils rather than on who they know as is the current standard. It would be based mostly on ships no larger than a cruiser, supercruisers smaller than a kilometer at most, and only a few hundreds of larger ships kept around to potentially deter the barbarians from Companion Besh and the Unknown Regions and maintain the skills in case the deterrent is not enough. It would even address many complaints from the Separatist worlds, and maybe bring the Corellians back to their senses just to sell the Republic Navy the necessary ships."  
  
Amidala looked pensive at that-but before she could say anything Jar Jar Binks, her Associate Planetary Representative for the Gungans that shared homeworld with her people, walked in with a strange device, prompting the Naboo senator to warn to shut down all devices _now_. And right after the two visitors followed her advice, Binks activated his-and Tarkin felt a slight shock as electricity arched through the entire room.  
  
"Wait, is that an EMP generator?!" governor Tarkin asked.  
  
"Yep." Binks confirmed with a smile. "Yous see, da Trade Federation haten us, so my goes and got dis bombad machineek by a Jedi palo, and use it wen mesa want-and tey can't spy, no noes."  
  
"Well... I suppose it's _not_ paranoia when they're out to get you." senator Paige-Tarkin admitted, trying to not show admiration at how casually the non human had beaten all attempts at spying on his boss.  
  
Later, after leaving Amidala's office, Wilhuff Tarkin mused on what had happened. Sure, they had failed to convince her to switch sides, and they clearly couldn't spy on her to try and find out some dirt-but now he knew that Jar Jar Binks was not the fool most people thought he was, simply naive enough to be mistaken for an utter moron and humble and smart enough to admit it and compensate the best he could, and that bit of information was invaluable in case he needed help or, Force forbid, he became an enemy. An underestimated enemy is that much more likely to kill you by surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The things addressed here are the following. First, there's the contradiction between Palpatine, Janus Greejatus, Horace Vancil and Padme being supposedly the senators for the Chommell sector when the Naboo court has authority over their appointment (Palpatine was nearly kicked out of his post by King Veruna before the latter got into Darth Plagueis' kill list, Greejatus, who's not from Naboo, lost his post when the Naboo court took offense at his policies, Vancil was appointed by Padme as a queen, and Padme herself was appointed by her successor), so I took the fact planetary senators are known to exist and that Palpatine and Padme have been identified on-screen as Naboo's senators to make them and Vancil the senators for Naboo-with the side effect the deeply corrupted Greejatus took longer to lose his job. Second, addressing some of the arguments pro and against the Republic's militarization, and why a sensible Tarkin would have been for it. And finally... Jar Jar Binks. He's naive, and a weapon-grade klutz, and by the time the Clone Wars start he actually accepts it and tries to work around it. Not a genius, but nowhere near arrogant enough to be called a fool-and a deadly danger for anyone on his wrong side.  
> Also, yes, Jar Jar got the EMP generator from Anakin.


	38. Year 14 of the Empire: Garm Bel Iblis looks for warships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cute little thing I had in mind for a while.

When it came to spaceships, ~~s~~ enator Garm Bel Iblis preferred Corellian Engineering Corporation products, as expected from a Corellian and political representative of the Five Worlds in front of the galaxy. But when it came to set up a pan-galactic Rebellion he couldn't afford to be picky, especially when it came to cruisers - Rendili Stardrive's dominance of that segment of the security force market meant there was never a large production, and most of what CEC had made had ended up in either the Grand Army of the Republic, and thus the Imperial Navy, or the heavily scrutinized Corellian Defense Fleet. Thus he was willing to buy, steal and procure anything that could fly and fight if it could serve the Rebellion, especially when it was cruisers. And this Hoffner that had come to him said he had cruisers for him - hundreds of them.  
  
"What kind of cruisers are we talking about?" Bel Iblis asked, hoping it wouldn't be another bust.  
  
" _Dreadnought_ -class." Hoffner replied, getting Bel Iblis' hopes a bit up: given their _immense_ production run it was perfectly possible that the Republic, the Separatists, or someone else just lost such a large number of those ships somewhere, and even if they had suffered great damage they could still be turned into assault frigates. Then Hoffner announced the precise model: " _Katana_ subtype."  
  
"Wait, all _Katanas_ were quickly upgraded to the _Beskad_ subtype after the disappearance of..."  
  
"Exactly: I've found the Katana Fleet." Hoffner announced, knowing that those ships' symbolic value made them more valuable than the normal market price of even the _Spadroon_ subtype. Then he noticed that the senator was holding his face with his hand. "Senator, this is not a scam-it was the result of a hyperspace accident, but I did indeed find the Dark Force, and none of my crew recognized it."  
  
"Is the name Talon Karrde familiar to you?"  
  
"Yes, he was my old navigator, who quit right af... THAT BASTARD!"  
  
Garm Bel Iblis sighed in resignation and relief: it had been another bust, but at least this time they hadn't tried to scam him. Plus, he hadn't needed to tell Hoffner that his old navigator sold him the location of the Katana Fleet almost a year ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Directly from the original Thrawn Trilogy, the legendary Katana Fleet, the last attempt of the Judicials' more honest leaders to turn their service in what it was supposed to be. 200 _Dreadnought_ -class cruisers of the (then) newest model, crewed by the Judicials' finest and equipped with complex slave circuits to reduce the crew complement - and then lost to an insanity-inducing virus of possible artificial origin. And now the Rebellion has them. And won't turn them into assault frigates-it's the Katana Fleet, too important for that.


End file.
